Geekzone: technology news, blogs, forums
Guest
Welcome Guest.
You haven't logged in yet. If you don't have an account you can register now.


linw

2849 posts

Uber Geek


#310533 29-Oct-2023 13:11
Send private message

Last night both my wife's and my phone got bogus 'calls' on Whatsapp. When we opened our phones (Whatsapp not opened) we got a Warning message as follows.


"Security threat.


Google appears to be infected. Immediate uninstallation is recommended.


Ignore  Uninstall"   


Uninstall Google???


All I have done so far is delete the bogus calls.


I have tried googling this but didn't find an exact situation. Plenty of Whatsapp scams, though.


Anyone got advice on this, please?



{Moderator Edit : SP : Updated thread title to remove reference to WhatsApp as it doesn't appear to be related to the security warning}

Filter this topic showing only the reply marked as answer Create new topic
huckster
842 posts

Ultimate Geek

ID Verified
Lifetime subscriber

  #3153375 29-Oct-2023 13:25
Send private message

Was it a WhatsApp message?
I would just ignore then.

 

If not, how did it appear/look like?




linw

2849 posts

Uber Geek


  #3153384 29-Oct-2023 13:41
Send private message

Not a message. It was in the Call section. They had strange looking ph numbers and random lettered names.


huckster
842 posts

Ultimate Geek

ID Verified
Lifetime subscriber

  #3153385 29-Oct-2023 13:48
Send private message

Bogus calls then methinks.

 

Annoying but not harmful.




linw

2849 posts

Uber Geek


  #3153390 29-Oct-2023 14:05
Send private message

That's what I was thinking but the warning msge made me want to ask for opinions.

 

Thanks for replying.


Goosey
2829 posts

Uber Geek

Subscriber

  #3153395 29-Oct-2023 14:30
Send private message

Is there a character limit for callers name / info.

 

quite possible they just created a really long “name” and it looked like a message.


Oblivian
7297 posts

Uber Geek

ID Verified

  #3153400 29-Oct-2023 14:50
Send private message

Search the message explicitly. There's plenty of them now.

Huawei?

Their app monitor has been sent an over protected update

https://support.google.com/android/thread/241185365/security-threat-on-android?hl=en

ANglEAUT
2320 posts

Uber Geek

Trusted
Lifetime subscriber

  #3153401 29-Oct-2023 14:51
Send private message

huckster: ... I would just ignore then. ...

 

Better yet, report & block.

 

 

 

For the OP - Uninstall what Google? Google Search? Google Maps? Gmail? Google Play Store Stating that Google is infected is vague & meaningless.





Please keep this GZ community vibrant by contributing in a constructive & respectful manner.


 
 
 

Cloud spending continues to surge globally, but most organisations haven’t made the changes necessary to maximise the value and cost-efficiency benefits of their cloud investments. Download the whitepaper From Overspend to Advantage now.
linw

2849 posts

Uber Geek


  #3153407 29-Oct-2023 15:26
Send private message

Thanks very much all for your replies. Right on @Oblivian

 

Yes, both Huawei, and yes, I noted how ridiculous the prompt was to "uninstall Google!"

 

Cheers.


scottjpalmer
5973 posts

Uber Geek

Moderator
ID Verified
Trusted
Lifetime subscriber

  #3153447 29-Oct-2023 18:19
Send private message

Not my screenshot . . .


timmmay
20578 posts

Uber Geek

Trusted
Lifetime subscriber

  #3153452 29-Oct-2023 18:29
Send private message

I get occasional spam calls / messages on WhatApp. I just block and report.


Oblivian
7297 posts

Uber Geek

ID Verified

  #3153453 29-Oct-2023 18:30
Send private message

Could this be google dropping the further hint to the Chinese markets..

Forget the whatsap mention. It's coincidence and not related. As you see by the shot.

It's a system message

/Edit the fix appears to be clear the cache on the 'optimizer' app (its the AV trapping it) And make sure the store update for 'google' that triggers it has run.

freitasm
BDFL - Memuneh
79263 posts

Uber Geek

Administrator
ID Verified
Trusted
Geekzone
Lifetime subscriber

  #3153552 30-Oct-2023 08:51
Send private message

This is not related to WhatsApp. My wife's phone had the same message this morning and she doesn't have WhatsApp.





Please support Geekzone by subscribing, or using one of our referral links: Samsung | AliExpress | Wise | Sharesies | Hatch | GoodSyncBackblaze backup


muppet
2568 posts

Uber Geek

Trusted

  #3153561 30-Oct-2023 09:15
Send private message

Seems to be a who-warrrrr-way "bug"


hotsupes
161 posts

Master Geek


  #3153769 30-Oct-2023 17:26
Send private message

It's a Huawei glitch - no official statements AFAIK but I've seen thousands of users reporting it across many forums. Apparently clearing "data and cache from Optimizer app" may fix the warning showing up, but it's probably safe enough to ignore it.


Filter this topic showing only the reply marked as answer Create new topic





News and reviews »

Air New Zealand Starts AI adoption with OpenAI
Posted 24-Jul-2025 16:00


eero Pro 7 Review
Posted 23-Jul-2025 12:07


BeeStation Plus Review
Posted 21-Jul-2025 14:21


eero Unveils New Wi-Fi 7 Products in New Zealand
Posted 21-Jul-2025 00:01


WiZ Introduces HDMI Sync Box and other Light Devices
Posted 20-Jul-2025 17:32


RedShield Enhances DDoS and Bot Attack Protection
Posted 20-Jul-2025 17:26


Seagate Ships 30TB Drives
Posted 17-Jul-2025 11:24


Oclean AirPump A10 Water Flosser Review
Posted 13-Jul-2025 11:05


Samsung Galaxy Z Fold7: Raising the Bar for Smartphones
Posted 10-Jul-2025 02:01


Samsung Galaxy Z Flip7 Brings New Edge-To-Edge FlexWindow
Posted 10-Jul-2025 02:01


Epson Launches New AM-C550Z WorkForce Enterprise printer
Posted 9-Jul-2025 18:22


Samsung Releases Smart Monitor M9
Posted 9-Jul-2025 17:46


Nearly Half of Older Kiwis Still Write their Passwords on Paper
Posted 9-Jul-2025 08:42


D-Link 4G+ Cat6 Wi-Fi 6 DWR-933M Mobile Hotspot Review
Posted 1-Jul-2025 11:34


Oppo A5 Series Launches With New Levels of Durability
Posted 30-Jun-2025 10:15









Geekzone Live »

Try automatic live updates from Geekzone directly in your browser, without refreshing the page, with Geekzone Live now.



Are you subscribed to our RSS feed? You can download the latest headlines and summaries from our stories directly to your computer or smartphone by using a feed reader.