If you are unable to access your Android phone or tablet and are seeing a lock screen message stating that your device has been blocked, it is likely that your device has been infected with a malicious app.
These types of apps can be downloaded from malicious websites or legitimate websites that have been hacked and offer a “video player” or other seemingly useful app for download. The infection may also be downloaded manually if the user is tricked into believing they are installing a genuine update for software such as Adobe Flash Player.
![[Image: Android FBI virus]](https://malwaretips.com/blogs/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/android-fbi-virus1.jpg "Android FBI lock screen virus")
What is the Android lock screen Ransomware?
Ransomware has evolved in recent years and the Windows operating system is not the only one who can get infected with this type of malware. With Android overwhelmingly the most common operating system for mobile devices, ransomware specially made for phones, tablets, and more is also on the rise.
The malicious ransomware apps will lock you out of your Android device and applications, so whenever you try to unlock or use your smartphone, it will display instead a lock screen asking you to pay a ransom in vouchers or cryptocurrency (Bitcoin, Monero, Dash). The malware’s authors prefer these payment services because transactions made through them cannot be reversed and are hard to trace.
Unlike Windows devices, the good news is that the infection doesn’t encrypt any of your data on your Android, and it merely locks your device with a popover browser window that quickly reappears if you try to get clear of it. The bad news is that the continually reappearing pop-over window makes it as good as impossible to get into the Settings menu to remove the malware.
Even rebooting won’t help as the malware kicks back in early in the process of restarting. A factory reset will get rid of it, but that also removes all your other installed apps and stored data.
The messages on this Android lock screen Ransomware are for the most part a scam, and you should ignore any alerts that this malicious app might generate.
Under no circumstance should you send any vouchers or cryptocurrency to these cyber criminals, and if you have, you can request a refund, stating that you are the victim of the malware.
Remove Android Lock Screen Ransomware
This page is a comprehensive guide that will remove the malicious app from your Android phone. Please perform all the steps in the correct order. If you have any questions or doubt at any point, STOP and ask for our assistance.
- STEP 1: Start Android in Safe Mode
- STEP 2: Remove malicious device admin apps
- STEP 3: Uninstall malicious apps
- STEP 4: Reset browsers back to default settings
- STEP 5: Use Malwarebytes for Android to remove malicious apps
STEP 1: Start Android in Safe Mode
In this first step, we will start your phone in Safe Mode to prevent malicious apps from interfering with the next steps. We’re using Safe mode because it starts Android in a basic state, with only the factory apps and settings.
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Long press the power button.
Long press the hardware power button (located on the side of your phone) until the power off menu appears.
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Tap and hold on “Power off”.
When the power off menu appears, tap and hold on the “Power off” button on your screen until you get the “Safe mode” option.
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Tap on “Safe Mode”.
When the “Safe mode” option appears on your screen, tap on it to enter safe mode.
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Your phone is in Safe Mode.
Your Android phone will now restart and enter into safe mode. When your phone is in safe mode, you’ll see the “Safe Mode” text at the bottom left corner of your phone. You can now continue with the next step.
If you can’t find a safe mode on your phone, activate Airplane mode instead, to cut your device off from any networks.
STEP 2: Remove malicious device admin
In this second step, we will check the phone to see if there are any malicious apps with administrator privileges installed on your phone.
The administrator privileges are used by apps to perform legitimate tasks such as device management or for antivirus apps to do a remote wipe. Unfortunately, these elevated privileges are also being used by malicious apps to prevent victims from removing the malicious app from their phone.
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Open the “Settings” menu.
Tap on the “Settings” app from your phone menu or home screen.
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Go to “Device admin apps”.
When the “Settings” menu opens, if you’re using a newer version of Android or a Samsung phone, tap on “Biometrics and Security“, then tap on “Other Security Settings” and then on “Device admin apps“.
However, because there are phones with different versions of Android the “Device admins apps” settings may be in a different menu, so below we’ve listed other common ways to reach the “Device admin apps” options:
- Security > Device admin apps
- Security & privacy > Device admin apps
- Security > Device Administrators
- Lock Screen and Security > Other Security Settings > Phone Administrators.
If you’re having trouble finding the “Device admin apps” settings, you can use your phone’s built-in search function to search through the Settings.
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Disable administrator privileges for the malicious app.
Once you’ve accessed the list of device admin apps, disable admin rights by tapping the option to the right of the app. This will remove the checkmark or toggle the button to the off position. Now you can delete the app normally as seen in the below step. On some phones, you can tap the app right there in the admin apps list and then use the Uninstall app link to remove it immediately.
If there is no malicious app with administrator privileges on your phone, then you can continue with the next step from this guide.
STEP 3: Uninstall the malicious apps
In this third step, while the phone is still in Safe Mode, we will check if any malicious apps are installed on your device. Sometimes browser hijackers or adware apps can have usable Uninstall entries that can be used to remove these apps.
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Open the “Settings” menu.
Tap on the “Settings” app from your phone menu or home screen.
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Tap on “Apps”.
When the “Settings” menu opens, tap on “Apps” (or “App Manager”) to see all the installed applications on your phone.
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Find the malicious app.
The “Apps” screen will be displayed with a list of all the applications that are installed on your phone. Scroll through the list until you find the malicious app.
Look out for any suspicious app that could be behind all the drama – anything you don’t remember downloading or that doesn’t sound like a genuine program. Most often, cyber criminals hide malware inside video or photo editing apps, weather apps, and camera apps.Here are some known malicious apps: ES File Explorer, Xender, Amber Weather Widget, GO Weather Forecast & Widgets, Kitty Play, Touchpal, Z Camera.
The malicious program will most likely have a different name on your phone. If you cannot find any malicious app on your device, you can exit “Safe mode” (as seen below) and continue with the next step from this guide.
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Uninstall the malicious app
When you find a suspicious or malicious app, tap on it to uninstall it. This won’t start the app but will open up the app details screen. If the app is currently running press the “Force stop” button, then tap on “Uninstall”.
A confirmation dialog should be displayed to confirm you want to uninstall the app, tap on “OK” to remove the malicious app from your phone.
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Exit “Safe mode”.
Now that we’ve removed the malicious apps from your phone, we can exit “Safe mode”. To do this, hold the power button on your device until you get the power off menu, then select the restart option from the menu.
Your phone will now be rebooted and exit from the safe mode and boot into the normal mode.
STEP 4: Reset browsers back to default settings
In this next step, we will remove spam notifications, redirects, and change to default any settings that might have been changed by malware.
Resetting the browser settings to their default it’s an easy task on Windows or Mac computers; however, when it comes to Android, this can’t be done directly because it’s not an option built-in into the browser settings. Restoring the browser settings on Android can be done by clearing the application data. This will remove all the cookies, cache, and other site settings that may have been saved. So let’s see how we can restore your browser to its factory settings.
Remove malware from Chrome for Android
To reset Chrome for Android to its default settings, follow the below steps:
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Open the “Settings” menu.
Tap on the “Settings” app from your phone menu or home screen.
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Tap on “Apps”.
When the “Settings” menu opens, tap on “Apps” (or “App Manager”) to see all the installed applications on your phone.
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Find and tap on Chrome.
The “Apps” screen will be displayed with a list of all the apps installed on your phone. Scroll through the list until you find the Chrome app, then tap on it to open the app’s details.
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Tap “Storage”.
When Chrome’s app info menu is displayed, tap on “Storage“.
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Tap “Manage Space”.
Under the storage settings, you will get two options — Manage Space and Clear Cache. Tap on “Manage Space“.
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Tap “Clear all data”.
Tap “Clear all data” to delete all Chrome’s data including accounts, bookmarks, and your settings to reset the default settings.
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Confirm by tapping “Ok”.
A confirmation dialog should now be displayed, detailing the components that will be restored to their default state should you continue with the reset process. To complete the restoration process, tap “Ok“.
Remove malware from Firefox for Android
To reset Firefox for Android to its default settings, follow the below steps:
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Open the “Settings” menu.
Tap on the “Settings” app from your phone menu or home screen.
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Tap on “Apps”.
When the “Settings” menu opens, tap on “Apps” (or “App Manager”) to see all the installed applications on your phone.
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Find and tap on Firefox.
The “Apps” screen will be displayed with a list of all the apps installed on your phone. Scroll through the list until you find the Firefox app, then tap on it to open the app’s details.
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Tap “Storage”.
When Firefox’s app info menu is displayed, tap on “Storage“.
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Tap “Manage Space”.
Under the storage settings, you will get two options — Manage Space and Clear Cache. Tap on “Manage Space“.
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Tap “Clear all data”.
Tap “Clear all data” to delete all Firefox data including accounts, bookmarks, and your settings to reset the default settings.
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Confirm by tapping “Ok”.
A confirmation dialog should now be displayed, detailing the components that will be restored to their default state should you continue with the reset process. To complete the restoration process, tap “Ok“.
Remove malware from the Opera browser
To reset the Opera browser to its default settings, follow the below steps:
-
Open the “Settings” menu.
Tap on the “Settings” app from your phone menu or home screen.
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Tap on “Apps”.
When the “Settings” menu opens, tap on “Apps” (or “App Manager”) to see all the installed applications on your phone.
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Find and tap on Opera.
The “Apps” screen will be displayed with a list of all the apps installed on your phone. Scroll through the list until you find the Opera app, then tap on it to open the app’s details.
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Tap “Storage”.
When Opera’s app info menu is displayed, tap on “Storage“.
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Tap “Manage Space”.
Under the storage settings, you will get two options — Manage Space and Clear Cache. Tap on “Manage Space“.
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Tap “Clear all data”.
Tap “Clear all data” to delete all Opera’s data including accounts, bookmarks, and your settings to reset the default settings.
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Confirm by tapping “Ok”.
A confirmation dialog should now be displayed, detailing the components that will be restored to their default state should you continue with the reset process. To complete the restoration process, tap “Ok“.
Remove malware from Samsung Internet Browser
To reset the Samsung Internet Browser to its default settings, follow the below steps:
-
Open the “Settings” menu.
Tap on the “Settings” app from your phone menu or home screen.
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Tap on “Apps”.
When the “Settings” menu opens, tap on “Apps” (or “App Manager”) to see all the installed applications on your phone.
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Find and tap on Samsung Internet Browser.
The “Apps” screen will be displayed with a list of all the apps installed on your phone. Scroll through the list until you find the Samsung Internet Browser app, then tap on it to open the app’s details.
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Tap “Storage”.
When the Samsung Internet Browser’s app info menu is displayed, tap on “Storage“.
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Tap “Manage Space”.
Under the storage settings, you will get two options — Manage Space and Clear Cache. Tap on “Manage Space“.
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Tap “Clear all data”.
Tap “Clear all data” to delete all Samsung Internet Browser’s data including accounts, bookmarks, and your settings to reset the default settings.
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Confirm by tapping “Ok”.
A confirmation dialog should now be displayed, detailing the components that will be restored to their default state should you continue with the reset process. To complete the restoration process, tap “Ok“.
Remove malware from Microsoft Edge for Android
To reset the Microsoft Edge for Android to its default settings, follow the below steps:
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Open the “Settings” menu.
Tap on the “Settings” app from your phone menu or home screen.
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Tap on “Apps”.
When the “Settings” menu opens, tap on “Apps” (or “App Manager”) to see all the installed applications on your phone.
-
Find and tap on Microsoft Edge.
The “Apps” screen will be displayed with a list of all the apps installed on your phone. Scroll through the list until you find the Microsoft Edge app, then tap on it to open the app’s details.
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Tap “Storage”.
When the Microsoft Edge’s app info menu is displayed, tap on “Storage“.
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Tap “Manage Space”.
Under the storage settings, you will get two options — Manage Space and Clear Cache. Tap on “Manage Space“.
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Tap “Clear all data”.
Tap “Clear all data” to delete all Microsoft Edge’s data including accounts, bookmarks, and your settings to reset the default settings.
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Confirm by tapping “Ok”.
A confirmation dialog should now be displayed, detailing the components that will be restored to their default state should you continue with the reset process. To complete the restoration process, tap “Ok“.
STEP 5: Use Malwarebytes for Android to remove malicious apps
In this final step, we will download, install and run a scan with Malwarebytes for Android to remove adware, browser hijackers, and other malware from your phone.
Malwarebytes for Android automatically detects and removes dangerous threats like malware and ransomware so you don’t have to worry about your most-used device being compromised. Aggressive detection of adware and potentially unwanted programs keeps your Android phone or tablet running smooth.
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Download Malwarebytes for Android.
You can download Malwarebytes for Android by clicking the link below.
MALWAREBYTES FOR ANDROID DOWNLOAD LINK
(The above link will open a new page from where you can download Malwarebytes for Android) -
Install Malwarebytes for Android on your phone.
In the Google Play Store, tap “Install” to install Malwarebytes for Android on your device.
When the installation process has finished, tap “Open” to begin using Malwarebytes for Android. You can also open Malwarebytes by tapping on its icon in your phone menu or home screen.
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Follow the on-screen prompts to complete the setup process
When Malwarebytes will open, you will see the Malwarebytes Setup Wizard which will guide you through a series of permissions and other setup options.
This is the first of two screens that explain the difference between the Premium and Free versions. Swipe this screen to continue.
Tap on “Got it” to proceed to the next step.
Malwarebytes for Android will now ask for a set of permissions that are required to scan your device and protect it from malware. Tap on “Give permission” to continue.
Tap on “Allow” to permit Malwarebytes to access the files on your phone. -
Update database and run a scan with Malwarebytes for Android
You will now be prompted to update the Malwarebytes database and run a full system scan.
Click on “Update database” to update the Malwarebytes for Android definitions to the latest version, then click on “Run full scan” to perform a system scan.
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Wait for the Malwarebytes scan to complete.
Malwarebytes will now start scanning your phone for adware and other malicious apps. This process can take a few minutes, so we suggest you do something else and periodically check on the status of the scan to see when it is finished.
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Click on “Remove Selected”.
When the scan has been completed, you will be presented with a screen showing the malware infections that Malwarebytes for Android has detected. To remove the malicious apps that Malwarebytes has found, tap on the “Remove Selected” button.
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Restart your phone.
Malwarebytes for Android will now remove all the malicious apps that it has found. To complete the malware removal process, Malwarebytes may ask you to restart your device.
Your phone should now be free of browser hijackers, adware, and other malicious apps.
If your current antivirus allowed a malicious app on your phone, you may want to consider purchasing the full-featured version of Malwarebytes to protect against these types of threats in the future.
If you are still having problems with your phone after completing these instructions, then please follow one of the steps:
- Restore your phone to factory settings by going to Settings > General management > Reset > Factory data reset.
- Ask for help in our Mobile Malware Removal Help & Support forum.
This was incredibly helpful, thank you
Phone was locked showing the same $500 penalty fee screen. Followed the steps and got it fix. Thanks!
i have a s7 active and i cant get it to shut off
phone froze saying I had to pay $500 with a pre paid card, followed these steps on this website, phones all better now, thank you so much for the help.
Just used this website to help remove one of these from my stepdad’s S3. The app in our case was called Porn Player or Porn Viewer. Something along the lines of those.
Thanks for nice information
I had the virus in System Updates, but the Uninstall button was greyed out. In this case, you need to go to Settings->Security->Device (or Phone) Administators, then turn off any apps with a tick. This should restroe the Uninstall button. After Uninstalling, Galaxy worked OK.
If you can uninstall it, it’s fake. If you can only “uninstall updates” it’s the real thing in most cases
thanks a lot.
hello everyone. the virus app in my case was “system update”.
How do you know which app is the bad one?
They all seem to look ok with typical goofy Android names
Great and thorough information for getting rid of this virus. Thanks!
This helped so much, thank you!
mine has the pornplayer and it wont let me uninstall how do I do it
they will not call anyone I have the same thing go into the safemode I did and it worked then delete they virus
I cannot shake this. I can’t find anything for “System Update” in apps. Tried all the malware removers, no avail. If anyone else has tips I’d appreciate it
Ok so I just had this happen to me and I took my battery out and also removed a micro SD I had in my phone. Then I started my phone back up looked through my apps and couldn’t find it in my apps, any help would be appreciated because I’m not sure if its really gone.
This is so helpful, thank you so much.
I just wanna ask if I can safely copy all my blocked phone files, into an other phone or tab
Thanks
I dunno if your setting thing works like mine does, but under applications there were 3 options, downloaded, running, and all. I found “Sytem Update” with an android logo, in “all”, and it was the virus.
Had this on my samsung galaxy tab 2, it was under a name like update manager or something along those lines, if theres any app in yiur downloadw that you cant remember downloading just delete it as it may be this
Stelian, you are Da Man!! Had the FBI ransom on my razr hiding under the false android logo under system update in the downloaded ap folder. Got rid of it with the info from your website. (simple uninstall). Grazie Mille my friend!
very helpful, thank you.
Oh thank you. I was so freaked out. I didn’t know what to do. By the nine this was helpful.
Thank you so much for your detailed explanation.
However my cell phone is infected with the “adobe flash player settings” whatever….
This malware is not able to be deleted even when the phone is rebooted in Safe Mode.
It changes itself into device manager application, so it cannot be deleted.
Now I am going to reset this phone back to factory settings….
Thank you sooooo much! I got it on my htc phone, and this got rid of it! Update the page for htc users, though, that one of the names for the virus is “system update” now. Otherwise, you are the best!!!!
Thank U so much I Been trying for days Lol thanks
Hi,
Ive got the loadgovstatesecurity version of the police virus on my galaxy tablet. I can activate safe mode and discovered the app ‘softwareupdate’ but its grayed out so I can’t remove it.
Any way I can overide this? I have tried going through security / administrator but the app is not there either. I also downloaded avast ransomware and have done scans with Sophos and 360 but none are identifying it!
Help!!
Thanks your method worked first time and was easy to follow . Nice job !!!!?
Thanks followed your instructions and managed to remove the app. Downloaded the app as I thought that it was an android security update. Phone appears to be working
fine now. Thanks
Many thanks. The ‘System Update’ was the rogue in my den also.
Instructions to remove the police virus if your phone doesn’t have the “Safe mode” option (no hard reset necessary!):
– Install the utility ADB (Android Debug Bridge) on the computer (https://developer.android.com/sdk/index.html#Other) and the driver for your cell phone (for example http://adbdriver.com/)
– On mobile (currently totally inaccessible) install the utility “ADB Network Enabler” through Google Play Store (to enable ADB over wifi) -> https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.soynerdito.adbnetworkenabler&hl=en
– Turn off your phone (by removing the battery), then turn it on and quickly press on the “ADB Network” icon, then on the “Start” button (all this before the virus starts)
– Also quickly write down the phone IP (eg. 192.168.x.x)
– From your computer, open a window with “cmd”, navigate to the folder where “adb.exe” is (ie: cd “C:Program Files (x86)Androidandroid-sdkplatform-tools”) and type “adb connect 192.168.x.x” (replace ip with that of your mobile phone) to start the wifi connection
– Type “adb shell” to open a shell on the phone
– In the shell list all the installed packages by typing “pm list packages”, check all packages beginning with “/data/app/…” and find the suspect one (in my case “com.coil.twiddled” was the name of the virus)
– Type “exit” to exit the shell
– Type “adb uninstall com.coil.twiddled”
The virus is uninstalled, also remember to clear the browser cache on the phone.
txs man mine had the same issue.
THANK YOU! This method worked so well! I just open my phone with safe mode and deleted the “malware” app, and then turn on with normal mode. The Virus deleted
exactly. Thanks for the guide OP
Just Happened to me unfortunately was not able to take a screenshot, Malware was self loading rather than you having to install, called System Update disguised as the green android, methods above worked
I ended up just resetting my phone. it wasn’t that hard since all my info was already backed up.
My Trojan was asking for $100 in iTunes cards. I tried everything here, and nothing worked. I found the “Internet” app had over 250mb in the cache. I cleared the cache, reset the app, and re-started the phone. (Samsung Galaxy Note 4) This finally got rid of the Malware. Try this as a last resort. Your methods did not work for me, but these scams are always evolving and getting better at hiding. Thank you for this site, Stelian.
This helped me out. Many Thanks. To those of you who cannot seem to get the uninstall to work even through the administrator settings u will probably have to do the entire factory reset. Thanks again
thanks a lot. the solution in my table samsung was great only deleting the system update app. Great solution, thanks again from Spain.
Thanks a million. Worked on my very first try.
THANK YOU! Searched my virus on google, this was 4th site I viewed, & fixed randsomware in under 5 min. Didnt have to dl or pay for anything. Was almost too easy!
Stelian,
Thank you so much for your article! My daughter’s phone picked up that damned Cyber Police crap, and it took a few hours of searching to find this article. Her malware was labelled as System Update. Uninstalled that, installed and ran some scanners, and all is well! I will be sharing this article on my facebook, just in case!
Thanks again!
Eric
My tablet has been locked by this virus. Ive followed all the instructions to get rid of it but i can’t find any of the malicious malware that have been mentioned here on my tablet. No Badoink no systems update version 1:1 … I’ve even downloaded avast.. although I already had AVG. Neither of these will scan as I can’t find them in safe mode. I’m at a loss at what to do. Please help.
i’m in safe mode and when i try to deactivate it as administrator it brings me back to the fbi virus screen
Hello John,
Please try again to start into Safe Mode. Turn off the gadget (hold the power button, tap “Power off” and then tap OK). Wait a few seconds and then turn the gadget back on.
When you see the Samsung logo, press and hold the Volume Down button until Safe Mode shows up .
Next go and uninstall any malicious app (recently known malicious app: System Update, System Malware, Security Update or Security Helper.
I have a Galaxy Note 10.1 and I have managed to pick up the United Kingdom Police message but I am unable to move from this page. I am unable to get internet connection or move to the settings page. What do you suggest?
Thank you, thank you so much! I seriously cannot thank you enough. I had inadvertently downloaded this malicious app and I had no idea what was going on. It wouldn’t let me do anything with my phone. After I read your article I removed it so you helped me a lot. If I could thank you personally, I would.
I recently came across this ad on my tablet yesterday and while trying to get rid of it took me to other pages and without knowing this FBI page locked my tablet I freaked out. I started my research and tried many times as it said but I can’t get to safe mode nor turn it off. I have the Galaxy Tab 4 and I don’t know what to do please help..
Hello,
Most likely you have the Cryptowall 4.0 ransomware on your computer… More details here: https://malwaretips.com/blogs/remove-cryptowall-4-0-virus/
On my god I freaked out when this happened, I didn’t sleep at all the whole night worrying about what I would have to do to fix this. Thank you so much like really thank you. My phone is working properly now and hopefully I don’t run into anymore of these problems, but if I do I know I’m coming back to stelian. Again thanks so much..
Hello,
Please try again to start into Safe Mode. Turn off the gadget (hold the power button, tap “Power off” and then tap OK). Wait a few seconds and then turn the gadget back on.
When you see the Samsung logo, press and hold the Volume Down button until Safe Mode shows up .
Next go and uninstall any malicious app (recently known malicious app: System Update, System Malware, Security Update or Security Helper.
Today my galaxy Grand was infected by this police virus. I tried many times as it is said. But my phone only showed power off and restart and it did not show select safe mode, although I kept holding the power button as it is explained here So I installed remotely avast ransomware remover from google play. It was installed but as soon as it wants to start scanning my phone the fake police warning comes up and avast stops at 7% and disappears. I switched my phone off and off several time and I waited each time but no use. My android is 4.2.2.
I am really depressed shocked and helpless. I need my photos my contacts my notes, and my all phone. What should I do?
Please help me.
This information saved my life. I just bought my new cell and I thought I screwed it up, but thanks to this article my phone is safe and malware free. Thank you Stelian Pilici.
Hi. My son got the FBI shit in a danish translation today on his Samsung S3 mini, perhaps when he was installing “Instagram” from Google Play Store. It was located on his homescreen and called “System malware” and with a green avatar like the Android thing. He tried to open it out of curiosity. Nothing happen until an hour later when the FBI shit turned up. He got freaked because he hasnt done anything wrong. I`ve seen it before on a computer, so I knew it was a virus. Thanks to the tricks on this side, we got rit off it again in an hour or so. Thanks for your help. Kind regards, Lars Christiansen Denmark
Hi ! This exact screen came up on my phone and I freaked o.o i then found out it was just a virus so chilled a little. I couldn’t manage to get onto my settings due to the pop up so I decided to try doing a factory reset. After doing this my phone did a restart cycle about 14 times and now it won’t turn on, charge, or do anything !! what can I do :( should I take it was my phone shop ?
Well that was really trippy. But i got it off. Thanks. Also, for me it was under system update. Version 1.0
Hi I’m I’m Australia and just got my htc one infected with this ransom virus. Just got to say these vandals are a bunch of Low Lives….
To put it mildly. If I ever found the ones responsible I certainly would not hold back in some painful physical blows.
But I have to thank this info for the fix. Great info and more than enough to save my phone.
In my case it was an android Update causing the drama.
Thanks again.
Mark.
Any pointers to get into safe mode on a kobo arc
Thank you, great advice! Finding the malicious app was a bit tricky but after that piece of cake :) Just to mention, Avast mobile security was installed but didn’t protect the phone. After removing the web shield was not on, hard to say if it was turned off even before the infection.
Thank you so much for this!!! When my phone was infected I was so scared, I thought it was legit and I nearly payed £100! Funnily enough I came across this article while I was searching for how to get a paysafe card…. Phew?
thanks henry followed advice all ok my s3 virus app was system update thanks again
just removed (system update version 1.0) it provided no info on what it was from an htc 1 working fine now thank you.
Actually found out the reason as to why i could not unistall the virus app. There is a setting on the “virus app” (in my case it was called “System Update”) called “device administrative privileges” where you can not “force stop” or “uninstall” so easily. As it is marked as a privilege app, all you have to do is to unmark it. From “Settings” you simply go to “Security” and from there open “Device administrators” or “Phone administrators”. You should be able to see the suspected “virus app” with a ticked box right nex to it. Untick the box, and simply resume to the uninstallation of the application. I hope this helps because it definitely fixed my problem
I followed the steps but i can not seem to detect the possible app with the virus. The only one which seems fishy is “System Update” with an android symbol as the icon. When i try to uninstall it, it does not allow me to “force stop” or “uninstall”. Could anyone give me possible solutions? Thanks
In my experience of this virus it is called “android update” or something near it just helping anyone who are stuck with finding the virus name
All you need to do is Start your device in safe mode 5hen go to application manager ànd remove the app …….shows as a security update. ………restart the device and ot will be gone
Help I did every thing it went all well but when I tried to deactivate it but it’ll take me back to the virus even in safe mode
Good guide. Just removed this from my daughter’s S3 mini. The malware was listed as a ‘secuirty update’ app
My gosh…I am from germany. I am searching for a solution since 5 hours (on german sites). Than I found this site. And you are my hero for today: Security Update. That was the app…Thank you so much. I am happy that my phone works again…
Thank you for the steps. Not able to run the avast antivus from safe mode. The virus was installed as a security update, once I uninstalled that , the virus was removed
Thanx, removed the Security Update app on my galaxy tab 2, and it works.
four months went by. so did anything happen??
No problem . Only way I realized it is because I denied it trying to download some security patch twice while I was on youtube.
No problem !
I actually followed the steps here by booting into safe mode and removing the app. It works perfectly fine now.
same here…
i felt the exact same way. lol it funny now i keep think the police would be at the door. but now I’m relief seeing theses msg. thanks!!!
same here. i thought the police will be in my house in few minutes. i was scared as. i hope this will work out for me cause i was scared!!
also I’d like to say thanks for the article. was so relieved after reading this!!
I found a solution that worked for me! the fake fbi alert only appeared for me when I tried to access the Internet. I tried restarting the phone and everything. I was panicking thinking I was going to have to take my phone to at&t for help but I decided to try using Google Chrome and it worked fine. I then went into my settings then apps and clicked internet and clicked force stop. reopened Internet and it was gone. checked for any suspicious apps and didn’t find any. I hope that was a permanent fix but it hasn’t come back on. hope this helps.
Thank you so much, I was just able to fix my phone. I had no clue what app it was until someone commented saying it said “Security Update”. I uninstalled it, and my phone works fine now. Thank you
Mine too had the same virus app!! Thank you for this comment!!! Helped me a lot!
Thank you Juggernaut. I have been searching for the offending app. I tried security update after reading your comment and it worked!
Just got this virus on my tablet. It was under the name of “Security Update” was able to remove it very easily. Thanks for the steps.
My 9 year old’s tablet has been blocked. It’s not fair that these coward pricks can basically stop the tablet from functioning!!!! That’s a waste of money and all my sons files.
So will the people who put this on my phone know I took it off?
Thank you so much, u saved my phone!
Thank you so much! I was terrified when i couldnt find any suspicious app. Deleted SystemUpdate and my phone works fine now. Thank you Sir!
Thanks for the help.
Umm I just got this on my phone (Samsung GT-S6310N) (I’m using my half broken Nexus 7 To say this now) And Its Literally stopped everything!
I can’t even turn it off!! Should I just ignore it and leave it for now or what it’s really weird and I need help with it!!!
Can Someone Answer Asap Please!!!!
But seriously
Home,menu,Power And Back button have stopped working so has my swipe down settings thing
Please reply I need it back asap!!!!!
Thank you SO MUCH! This guide really helped me out. Good heavens i really really freaked out when i saw that message on my screen…
For future guidance to others: before this interpol message came, my mobile (LG Optimus II) gave me a white screen with “system update” – never seen it before. I managed to close it by opening another app from my recent app history.
In the removal step of finding the name of the program: on my phone it was called “System update”, with a blue and white globe as logo. Rebooted and everything went back to normal.
Again, thanks so much!
thank you so much, and the person posted before me same thing to me! . this happened to my phone last night Good Thing I didnt pay my money to anyone!. I was like so freaking paranoid i couldnt sleep last night!. I thought i was going tojail. The fake FBI virus message on my android looked so real, like real legit. I read it 3 times.. and then 1 more time LOL. In the back of my mind i was like my parents are going to be so mad at me. At the bottom it read: fine is $500.00 to settle in 48hrs before you have a criminal case against you in 96 hours. You can go to your local 7-11 store or CVS etc. load cash onto PAYPAL account and type in code from card. You will get your $400.00 back in 30 days if you do not get in trouble.
Thats when i was like Hahaha not uh! thats crazy!!. I told my mom like the next day she laughed at me. I told her it was scary. I learned a lesson and will definitely be telling people about the fake message. Dont send money online if it asks u to load money on a card. “Dont do it, Don’t do it.”- (Niki Minaj youtube clip , if anyone knows what im talking about lol.)
Thank you so much for this! I was so scared that someone had hacked my phone to get me arrested. I dont understand how people could create something like that…the pop up looked so real (it was a new version and had official logos) it told me i had commited a number of offenses and even hacked into my camera and didplayed my photo on the page…I had hundreds of thoughts as to what I would do..I knew I was innocent but in I was panicking afraid of how the hell i would tell my parents I needed $500 or that I had been scammed and would have to go to court. I was so stressed out and upset that I thought about destroying my phone or even suicide simply because I thought the police would be at my door in a few hours and i couldnt mentally handle that thought.The only reason I didn’t do anything rash was because it told me I had to pay with a very specific type of card… This site saved me and got rid of the virus but I have anxiety problems and still worry about checking my mail and people knocking on my door afraid that police or investigators have come to accuse me of breaking the law and arrest me because I didn’t pay and the hackers gave out false information and I will get into trouble for it….I know it makes no sense but that’s how bad this experience scared me. It did teach me a very valuable lesson to never click on adds online though…..I know that eventually I will get over this anxiety but it will take a while but I definitely plan on donating thank you again!!!!!
THNX BROOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
Wish I knew this a year ago lol. They did that to my phone so I threw it out and claimed it was stole. I thought it was legit thanks for the tips bro
I work for a Telco and the most common one I have come across is xxxplayer. Removing this has helped get rid of this error.
Hello Prince,
Have you tried the above steps?
thank you so much. only just got my phone back from being repaired was so worried i would have to sent it back
The FBI virus appeared on my phone. I called the FBI office on Dearbourn street in Chicago. Agent advised go to your web site. Virus gone.
I thank you so much. Thanks to this, I don’t have to lose my favorite tablet ^_^. I could not save anything, just send all of my photos to my Gmail account. Because with my Malware, it would not allow me to remove it from from being an admin. So I had to reset the damn thing. But worth it… WAIT!!!! MY CLASH OF CLANS ACOUNT!!!
YOU ARE A GOD SEND. Thank you so much. Mines wasn’t this exact thing it was an app but still you save me and my phone. I owe you bro. If you ever need a follow on social media no problem. I <3 you soooo much. Thank you!!! Thank you!!! Also mind had an actual picture of child porn and I swear I almost threw up it so so gross and sad. That poor child. but those people are sick and almost scared the shit out of me. THANK YOU!!
Really thanks i was like wtf shit this looks real cause it had cantact info from my phone onto the page as well
Thank you so much. I knew this was a scam. Your tips worked the first time no problem. Thanks again.
Pretty sure mine downloaded when I was trying to tap out of ads but it showed up as browser update on my phone.
Thank you so much. This information helped greatly. The malware was called browser update. Followed the info on this page and now my phone works great. Thanks again.
If your phone is still infected with this ransomware is it safe to transfer all of one’s pictures and video files to one’s computer before removing the threat or would that risk spreading the ransomware to the computer? Thanks a lot for everything you do! Really!
Thank You so much, May the lord bless you and your future. I am a college student who was browsing the web doing what boys do and this popped up out of no where and I decided that I would look more into it and I found our blog. Thank You so much If you have an instagram I would be honored to follow you find me at @AboutTreJones
Hello.thank you for your information.i install the app to remove ransomware but despite removal message i can not still use internet explore.can you give me a guide
THANK YOU SOOOOO MUCH!
I simply closed all my apps on my Samsung Galaxy S5, worked
They’re scamers not police, is just a scare tactic to get you to pay the $200 or $300 they want
There are not enough words to thank you!!!
Thank you Luke. I had my doubts but it really worked.
Thanks for taking the time.
can this virus really get a hold of my contacts it listed on the message?
thanks man it help the first time this thing happen to me…but the second time it is what had really got me…It said the app could not be deleted because it was a administrator app when I took it off as a administrator the uninstall button was a light gray and would not let me push it. So after 30 min I just did a hard wipe on my phone… if you can try to see if you can help us with that problem… Thanks man
thanks for the tip. I got the virus off my phone but will the cops actually track me down and arrest me or its there to scare you also would it affect my cell phone service please get back to me
thank you so much I was scared there so I looked up on google pictures and I found the same thing that was on my htc first and I clicked the link and it brought me here and im sooo glad that’s of my phone:) thank you
Wow fucking thank u bro im sorry fucken happy u are here didn’t even know that would be the name u The Real mvp
Thank you so much for helping me get that off my phone
Worked perfectly for me in a second..Thanks loads!!!!
The same thing happened to me two days ago and I went and show my parents and us being scared and all my father went and pay the money and they told me that I have to call them within seven days or else my phone will be locked again but this time I won’t be able to pay any bail to get out of it and I am really really scared. I don’t know if I should call but I also don’t know who to call. Is it the police or the FBI people. I NEED SERIOUS HELP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Thank you so much for the above steps..they were clear and easy to follow and have made my friend very happy today as he is now able to use his mobile again! Definitely reccomend this website! Thank you again! X
Hello everybody, New here first visit…..I have a Samsung Galaxy S3 mini it’s been hacked with an app calling itself “xxxtube player” I suspect it is similar to the Badoink app mentioned in this article. I think it was attatched to other downloaded apps or updates to apps. I am more a phone user than an internet user. My personal choice is to do online things etc is to wait until I go on my PC…… but because my phone is constantly hassled by google to update everything I tend to disable a lot of their apps cos I dont use them. I use whatsap, viber, IMdb, and if I want to go on Facebook I go online rather than have their massive app take up too much phone memory. I make calls and send texts when not using whatsapp and viber….. However, now I have the Police warning that blocks my phone completely and demands £100 for a fine to allow me access following a Ukash payment but I checked out Ukash to discover that I am probably a victim of a very convincing scam. I must admit I was freaked out by what I read initially on my phone…It wasnt until I came here and read the above advice that I even got into safe mode…trouble is as you pointed out Safe Mode disables all 3rd party apps when in safe mode. I have so far not removed the malware. I tried installing Avast but because 3rd party apps are either not running or removed in safe mode the same applies to both avast mobile security app and the Avast! Ransomware Removal app…..I see them in storage but I cant run either of them in safe mode even tho I’ve installed both apps on my phone. Now I am confused as to how to remove the malicious app. It looks like I am going to have to work out how to transfer my phone book contacts and all image files ie:- personal photos onto my PC. The advice given on the 2 Avast apps is misleading because when I read the reviews in the app store on my phone…everybody was having the same issues as I am…. calling the apps useless and serving no use at all. If I am missing something and I have not done things correctly I would appreciate a response. ……Thankyou Mike
OK. Hi to everyone! I’m in a little bit of a jam, how do i get through the lock screen on my Android Phone that the Malware has engaged. I tried to access my Gmail acct to download the anti malware on my phone but i forgot my pw. I couldn’t get into my gmail acct and i tried unsuccessfully 3 times. can someone please help me out? Thanks
So to everyone I just wanna say, I’m extremely happy that I found this website. My galaxy s3 became infected approximately 9 months ago with the malware virus using the name Adobe Flash Player. I’ve tried so many different things did not know how to fix it. then the other day me and a friend where looking online and we found this website. Now unfortunately it took going through all the steps to find out that I had to actually factory reset my phone, but still I am now able to use my S3 again which is a great relief to me and I just want to say thank you for posting all the wonderful advice and I’m definitely going to let everyone know in the future that this is the site to go to.
IT HAS HAPPEN TO ME AND I POWERED MY PHONE OF TURN IT BACK ONAND IT GOES STRAIGHT TO THAT LAW THJNG AND IT WONT LET ME GO TO HOME IM REALLY SCARED AND IM.USING MY.FRIENDS PHINE FOR INFORMATION
Hello Mo,
You could use the Android Debug Bridge, however this would mean that your phone had the USB debug option enabled.
Some info here: http://www.howtogeek.com/125769/how-to-install-and-use-abd-the-android-debug-bridge-utility/
Here is how to install ADB on Windows – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zXd7UC2Xm9U
If you manage to install ADB, then use this command:
adb uninstall com.MALICIOUS APP.apppackage
If you cannot do this, then I would try again the Safe mode, then I would go for a factory reset.
This has happened to my partners fond, he has the Galaxy s5 we have tried all the above tips but will not do anything the fond functions are not working at all, is there anything else we can try
Holy crap. I was scammed. :(
The criminal app is called BrowserUpdate! get rid of it…
It’s not working, everytime I deactivate it, it pops up and reactivated.
yea this worked for me! Luke you saved me
thank you so much you are a life saver!!!!!!!
@ Charlie: This was it! Thanks allot. This is the second day trying to get the hang of it. Once in safe mode I start checking each app in part as I did not have any Adobe Player or anything else obvious, and for some reason I made few exceptions. Among them BrowserUpdate… Yoy’re the MAN!!!
THANKYOUUUUU…!!!! for one moment i thought i was screwed. this article saved me :’)
Can I just say, this virus is sloppy in its execution? The typos everywhere tipped me off that this was some sort of virus. Thank you for helping me with this problem!!
Hi
I Was hoing you could give me some clarity.
If police came to your home under a warrant and accessed your computer is it true they can upload or download a file to monitor all your movements via that computer for life? By movements I mean the stuff your browsing,downloading,creating etc
I have found random files which look as if they are from when they came but my friend said that they are left the to surveillance me…..
I find this difficult to believe.
Hope you can shed some info
Thanks
Tania :)
I just helped my nephew move it from his. We were Both soo worried because my sister was going to KILL him because he just got the phone yesterday and it’s the second phone this year alone. the one that was on his phone was call XXTRAPlay or something like that. Beware everyone!!!!
Thanks a billion. Or, i guess more like $500. Last time i check out shady russian websites.
THANK YOU SO MUCH!!
ok so i thought my mom was going to kill me and and also the FBI. for the whole day i was shaking with fear thinking “HOW THE FUCK AM I GONNA GET $500 IN 3 DAYS?!!!” so then i started to think after like 5 hours “is that really how the FBI works? no i dont think so” so i try to look up what it was then i saw this and i felt so much better but before i was like about to cry because i didnt have that money nor did i want to go to court like it said.
THANK YOU!!! I ALMOST DIED!!
The latest version of the app is named BrowserUpdate…… dont let its name fool you! Thanks for the help.
woww dude i owe big time for this next pay check ill donate cus you are a hero !!! thanks A LOT man .
Thank you so much! My daughter is ever so thankful that we didn’t have to do a hard reset. However, the first time we got into safe mode and attempted to uninstall the obviously named app (PORNDROID) it would not work, sent us to some other scary screen that wanted to “open a package”. We decided to start over, took the battery out, put it back and went back into safe mode. Had her go into play store first and make sure the Avast Free Mobile Security was downloaded after that I tried to uninstall again and it worked this time, YAY! Had to also delete a bunch of downloaded crap but everything seems fine now. Thank you so much, my daughter thinks you saved her life, LOL.
Thank you.
That is £100 I can keep in my pocket
Thank you so much you literately saved my life Sir!!!Thanks so much your the best and as luis said i would also pay you 500 dollars thank you again!!
U have no idea how much of a superhero u are to me right now!!!! When it popped up on my S3 i was possitive it was some sort of scam. And i wasn’t going to pay anybody $500 ! But my phone was locked none the less. Thanks to u, it no longer is. If i had the $500 i would send it to u my friend. Thanks again. Great work!
You sir are a hero! I totally thought my life was going to be ruined because i was being framed by some virus. But this showed me that it was just a scam *wipes sweat off forhead. Thank you thank you thank you!
Can someone please help me!?
I’ve gone into ‘Safe mode’ on my S4 mini but I cannot see BaDoink or Adobe. Is there anything else it might be called?
Thanks
From a pensioner that uses his tablet mainly for reading books a sincere Thank You. I certainly couldn`t afford to pay for a repair and I followed your tutorial. Absolutely Fantastic. if I win the Lottery expect a large donation. good Luck in your fight my friend
THIS WORKED!!! I was locked up and your instructions did it. The app was titled “Update browser”. I also downloaded the Avast. I owe you one or 2 or a million!
Thank you very much for the help you provided. Spot on :-)
Wow god bless you for the help to remove the virus
Omg. I got the virus and went on here to find out how to erase it . You are a life saver. Saved me $500
Thank you so much i thought i was screwed you saved me so much
thanks you i was scared put you help alot
This was great. Thank you so much for being helpful. I went to another site and it was complicated and had a price, but this was simple and free. Thanks you guys!!!!!
The funny thing is, is that I was hit with ransomwear with my Samsung Galaxy S III and the message kept popping up on leaving the page so I had taken the battery out and went back on the internet to get this resolved and it turned out that my Wifi settings had resolved my phone from getting locked.
nevermind i finnaly found it
ok i tried this problem is i cant get a straight answer from the internet or any other source on how to reboot my android v 4.1.2 can you guys help me with this?
–
Not really, most pretend to be legit browser updates on normal sites. Mine on face book
Do the safe mode thing, go to your regular phones apps, find the culprit, delete it
The watching beastiality? I wouldn’t do it again either
Bro, showed my friends at school the virus today and they thought i was screwed, but thanks to you i wont have to worry about pay to get my Samsung Note 2 fixed. Wasn’t even watching porn tho that’s what pissed me off. I pressed an ad by accident and a download started. If i had a debit card i’d pay you ASAP. God Bless You!!!!! You the real MVP.
I just used a diffrent way to remove the lock because my phone wasn’t letting me do the direction on this website.but this is wat I did and it removed the block first I went to applications then I put the screen on grid view then I pushed the button that allows u to edit the applications then I clicked the little minus sighing and it will say delete and then u wil
l be good to use ur phone
This article is a big help thanks to the writer and to the creator of this site as i totally removed the KOler malware to my mobile S4. i followed step by step even turning your mobile to safe is mode is really awesome as i didnt know that b4. Really thanks, appreciated. and more power,,, Yes i got avast now..
I want to add more thank to you!!!!! Thank you so much,, their right i can not even sleep too without my mobile… and i save my money just to bring this mobile to repair shop, that i didnt know that even me can fix it, thanks to your tech support!!
Can NOT thank you enough!! We were ready to pay the money. I’m so glad you were here! Worked perfectly! Thank you!!
Thanks so much these steps definitely helped me get my phone working again
I did all the steps. I go into apps and it doesn’t show and I’ve doenloaded the society app but it won’t allow me to open it.
your a life saver cant go to sleep without using my phone for a atleast thank you very much
Holy crap I was legitimatly freaking the hell out. Thank you sooooo much omg. I think u were right bout the name change cuz mine said “Update browser” under “Apps”. Luckily I was able to work quick by rebooting and delete/uninstall it before it could actually kick in and give me the pop up. Lol Angus, ” I want to have your babies” thts funny stuff.
Thanks a lot, wow life saver for real I’m so grateful for this site glad i looked it up was going crazy not being able to use my phone
Thanks you so much !You very good…..God Bless You!
Not at all. If you fail to get the ransom within 7 days, the code to get rid of the virus will be destroyed.
Thanks for helping all of us get rid of this nasty virus. We couldn’t have done this without you.
Anyone having trouble opening in safe mode? On my versus touchtab 10.1 in off mode, long press power button until logo appears then long press both volume+ and- together until safe mode appears on bottom left corner. Now follow the instructions given on the page. Good luck
i want to have your babies thank you
Thanks alot. I thought I was going to have to pay $200. It worked bc other videos said just to uninstall it but it was locked!!! Thanks alot.
this did not help me at all.my fathers tablet got the fbi ransomware. but it does not have the power off menu in order to put it into safety mode. also because the popover will not allow me enough time to remove or go to settings or app store. it just seems helplessiknowthat.i fiti wentonitcn c a ome off but i dont have enoug to pay anyone to fix it tore ll me how to fix it. i also tried the power on and +as a factory reset a and still nothing
i downloaded the app from the computer to the phone however the lock screen is not letting me get to the app on the phone. i cant do anything but see the lock screen. anyone else having this issue? how was it fixed????
I thought my life was over lol, thank you so so much!!!
thanks you guys so much you guys are the best and save me $300
Thanks you so much, you saved my life <3
You guys saved me
YHANK YOU VERY MUCH!!
i wasnt even watching porn. I was writing a story when an ad for a game came on. Then i checked my downloads and i saw a Adobe flash update thing. then i t said the cops were coming after me and accused me of watching childporn, and bestiality. Ive had this virus before but it only lasted a few seconds, so i didnt think it was a big deal. Until it blocked all my apps and forced me to factory reset my phone. Thanks Obama. Oh well, wont do that again
Do the police realy come after you
OMG thank you I thought I was going to get my ass whooped
You guys saved me :’) thank you so much
Dude this article was do helpful because this justice happened to me and I was freaking out because it said Fbi blocked your phone and I thought they cops were going to show up at my house but then I read your article and I stopped panicking .then all I did was reset my phone and everything was back to normal well not everything because I lost everything that was on my phone.so thank you very much.
O…M….G. DAY IS REALLY SAVED YOU. ARE WONDERFUL THANKS MAN. REALLY THANKS :). :)
Omg thank you so much I would’ve never gotten this virus off without this. Once again thank you, saved my ass
I’ve also been infected by this dreaded virus, even though I thought I was protected. The issue is that I was infected on my Samsung Galaxy Tab Pro 10.1 tablet. Which of these methods above should I try or is there something different I have to do to get to Safe Mode. I believe the app downloaded was Adobe Flash Player. apk Thanks for any help you can provide………….
Man. I’m a college student that lives with his parents, with no job, scared shit less when this virus popped up,man I almost had a heart attack. thank goodness this guy existed. i was bracing myself to ask my parents for hundreds of dollars to fix my stupidness. Now if I’m ever going to watch porn, i think I’ll buy one from a store. i only got the virus because of a pop up but man did you save me. thank you.
Greetings. Unfortunately, the latest version of this plague is not allowing any of these tactics to work…have not gone to the nuclear option of resetting the phone, yet. Any new options since this posted? Thanks!
Help PLEASE, my son got this virus on his Galaxy S3 (GT-I9300 international model), when powered on in all above stated methods say Downloading do not disconnect usb cable during software update
I greatly appreciate any suggestions
Thanks!
thank you very good
Dude your a savior. This literally just happens to me and I reset my phone myself thinking some hacker just fucked me over and police was gonna show up any time then I saw this and my heart stopped going crazy. Thank you bro good job. Go tech nerd: D
You are truly a blessing and I pray whoever you are that you receive a blessing for helping many of us out! I was about to go tomorrow and pay someone to clear my phone for hundreds of dollars but your directions were so clear and step by step I was able to do it myself in 5 min…for FREE! And, with No complications doing so. Thanksssssss !
Thank you so much. I will never let another person use my phone while out of my eyesight. It took me a couple of hours to get the job done, but I’m so relieved that it’s unlocked. Thank you
It’s all good I smashed up my phone when I saw this.
Holy crap man ty so much… i was 2 SECONDS away from just throwing the tab out the fkn window and running it over.
I just got the lock off my phone thanks for the help
thank you so much i was scared out of mind but thanks to you guys i got it off my phone and found out it was a scandal thank you so much
Who ever did this should be shot and yes I did say shot. My 14 year old son just came in here scared out of his mind thinking that he was going to be arrested and then being the mom that I am I like to investigate things and came upon this website. First and foremost I will be blogging about this to others to warn them and secondly people are sick to pull this on people. Although we were not able to get this off his phone and it was indeed a good lesson for him, I appreciate that I was able to find out this information and calm my son’s nerves. Thank you again.
Thank you so much I almost took my tablet a part
Amazing info. You saved my phone and day. When I can I will donate. Thank you.
Thank god now i can go to bed
THANK YOU!!!
Thanks for relieving the stress in our family. God Bless You!
My files are decrypted after deleting this programme in safe mode.. the files are nou crpt files. Is there a way to get this files back? If anyone could help me out i will really appreciate it. Thanks
Thank you thank you thank you!!!!!
I was freaking out. Should I be worried that they had some of my contacts and said they were going to inform them?!?!?!?!?
Happy thanksgiving lol. Very thankful for you!!!!!!
Man I really thankful!!!!
I love you
Thank you so much!
thank you so much i was really freaking out and i just got attacked today and the app that the virus was hiding in was call videos for me if that helps anybody
Thank you so much… We really love you guy(s). whew thanks again
OMG THANK YOU SO MUCH!!!!!! YOU SAVED MY LIFE!!!!!!!! I thought that I would have to show my dad this, and I would’ve been screwed. THIS WAS SERIOUSLY A LIFESAVER!!!!!!!
OUTSTANDING!!!
I don’t see the app i need help asap i have a galaxy note 2 thank you!
Thanks! ! This is so viscous of a scam. My friend thought he was genuinely in trouble for real stupid stuff. I love the photo they use of Obama pointing with a intimidating look. The US government would never use something like that. And who demands a fine without a trial? This sickens me because it fear mongers the police state that does exist to an extent nowadays.
Judgement without trial. But people shud always recognize extortion or blackmail.
This guide is great. Saved a phone. Good karma for you.
I just forwarded a warning to my 800 plus Facebook friends. So far, I can’t get the virus out of my phone, because when it boots up, the virus pops up instantly before any menus appear. I tried holding down the “start” button, as well as the volume button both high and low. I’m afraid I’m going to have to download everything on my computer and do a clean wipe of my phone. Thanks for posting this great information. If I can get my phone back on, I PROMISE to send a few bucks!
Thank you soo much this helped me out alot
Thank you so much for resolving this. It gave me a nightmare
Thank god this was just a virus. I nearly died not being able to use my phone.
I couldn’t do any of the options so I decided to just install it during safe mode and put it n my home screen so as soon as it turned on and I got past my lock screen I was able to start the Ransomware removal app and restarted my phone so it would be off safe mode and they literally had a power struggle over my phone the scam would pop up then the removal app would pop up and it kept flashing back and forth but the removal app won and kept scanning my phone. When it got to 100% and started making sure it was gone it started doing the same thing from scam to ransomware removal and ransomware removal won again!! When it was done it prompted me to install avast to make sure it doesn’t happen again and is scanning my phone right now as I type this. It looked like a movie battle, I imagined the scam app in my phone yelling as it declared its defeat…….it was kinda cool!! But not cool enough to let it happen to my phone again. Thank you!!
Thank you so so so so much that helped me so much
We must admit tho we all fell for some …inappropriate things so let the scare change your mind (if you understand)
if he helped you from shatting your pant the least you could do is give the guy 5$ i almost payed 500$ to a fake group of people theleast you could do is give him 1/100 of that amount again thank you so much sir.
this man is the true hero of the day thank you for saving mr from having a heart attack.
You deserve an award. Thanks to you, my phone is no longer infected with this virus. THANK YOU, SIR.
Thanks again for the help. It had access to my contacts. Should I be worried about other people being told about this?
Thankz
Hello,
Go to your “Device Administrator”, and check there. The only thing that should be checked is “Android Device Mananger” (from Google).
Disable anything else, then go ahead and uninstall it.
Most recently the malicious app was called: PornDroid, PornHD, PornUltra…
Hello,
The malicious app comes with different names. Most recently it was called “PornDroid”…. Check your Device Administrator to disable it, then uninstall it.
Thank you. I almost had a heart attack when the virus popped up on my phone. This put my mind at ease
YOU SAVED MY LIFE!!! thanks i literally shat my pants hahah, thank you so much
thanks so much! I really thought it was the FBI. Now I can rest easy.
thank you so much. People that dont think this website works it works. this website is the best. i thought my phone was done for, but this website helps alot. they give u step by step instructions on how to fix the problem, they even had a “if this doesnt work try this”. And so many times that helped. Just keep reading, read the whole thing, and your phone will be fixed in under 15 minutes. Thank you so much malwaretips you are a life saver :)
Thank you so much, I thought I was about to get arrested.. I had an anxiety attack. You guys literally saved my life. Thank you so so much.
thank you I was so scared I thought I was done for I love this site and hate those hackers
Thank you thank you thank your knowledge and guidence in your excellent instructions helped me not be a victim of this malicious scam may God bless you with greatness
Thank you thank you thank your knowledge and guidence in your excellent instructions helped me not be a victim of this malicious scam may God bless you with greatness
Thank you a lot for this information. At first, I was scared of being searched and caught by FBI, but now I am worry free. The moment I saw that scam, I believed that it was the real FBI, and thought about seeking help form police. After I read and follow your instruction, I am more than happy.
Thank you a lot for this information. At first, I was scared of being searched and caught by FBI, but now I am worry free. The moment I saw that scam, I believed that it was the real FBI, and thought about seeking help form police. After I read and follow your instruction, I am more than happy.
Thank you so much
Thank you so much
My Man, thanks for your knowledge and support got me out of an odd and ugly situation. Good looking out Bro.
Thank you. Thank you. I thought I was going to get arrested for something I didn’t even do.
Thank you so much. I really appreciate it. I was going to find someplace to get a moneypak right away. You save my money and saved me from stress. I was sure I was either going to pay or get locked up
Im a kid and got fine that was crap thanks for helping me understand
Thank u so much i was already crying i thought i was going to jail and pay 500 dollars to get out i feel safe now thank thank u
thanks soooo much, suicide was my next option, but this saved me, had no idea my phone could go into safe mode, thanks alot
Thank you, because I was using my neus trying to watch adobe flash animations and they got me. I was sweating up a storm
THANK YOU SO MUCH YOU SAVED MY LIFE I WAS CRYING MY EYES OUT THINKING I WAS GOING TO GET ARRESTED
I had to sacrifice my photos and all my music. but hey, sacrifices must be made. Thanks a lot!
Just removed the FBI virus from my friends phone. The guide walked me thru the process, no problem. Thanks a bunch!!!
thank you very very much i thought i was going to get arrested for watching my little pony :C
Thank you so much! When that popped up there I thought I was gonna get arrested but I fount this and I thank you!
tnx
Thank you so much u saved my phone =)
Thank you Thank you Thank you!
thank you so much it really helped i hope someone catches those bastards who do this
thank you I was really about to be real scared thank you.
This was super helpfull thank you soo much!
Thank you!!!!!
Thanks for the info .
I was probably 10 minutes from buying a new phone.
I was unable to start in safe mode.
(My phone is a Samsung Galaxy Rush)
After reading here and trying to reboot in safe mode, to no avail,I restarted (normal mode)and got into my settings then to my application manager as fast as I could( am not phone/ computer savvy or fast at all)and uninstalled the app, mine was called personal video.
It took me about 15 attempts to get it.
Don’t wait for your phone to completely re start the second your home screen shows up get started!! , to your settings and to your application manager . Find the unfamiliar app , force stop and uninstall as fast as you can.
It worked for me.
(I’m not sure, this is just a theory but I have no wifi available and weak 3g connection .I think that may have helped me , making my phone slow to completely re start. In other words it may buy you the time you need to get into your application manager, if you turn off your wifi and go some place you know you have a weak 3g signal.)
Good luck.
Thanks, Tuck
Read my description as long as your phone is set to auto turn
I just had this problem couldn’t do anything on my phone except one thing they didn’t think of… I finally after 6 hours of lock down turned my phone sideways and was able to go into settings and although I couldn’t uninstall the app as the button to o.k. the uninstall was still under the block I was however able to move the infected app to my sd card then soon as I did that it went away and before it got a chance to reappear I quickly uninstalled it thank goodness
This helped alot THANKS!!!!!
I had the adobe ransomware version. I couldn’t unistall while in safe mode, but the option to move it to SD was available. I put in a spare SD card that I wasn’t using then selected move to SD. I then reformatted the card to delete the file. Rebooted the phone and everthing was fine. I didn’t think to check this thread untill I already figured it out, so I might have had a version that allows you to disable admin rights. IDK? My solution might work for versions that won’t allow you to remove admin rights. Hope this helps someone else.
Hello,
Did you try all the 3 methoda to ebter safe mode?
I have an LG Droid (an older model about 2 years old). I can’t get past the locked screen from this app to do anything at all. Is there a physical way to do a system restore? Is there a way around this locked screen demanding money?
Thank you for your help
With the flash player version, it’s listed as administrator under settings, security, device administrator. boot in safe mode. Unselect it, then go under installed apps and uninstall.
Hello,
If you cannot uninstall the malicious app (this happens with newer version of this infection), you will need to follow Option 3: http://malwaretips.com/blogs/android-police-virus-removal/#reset
If you cannot uninstall the malicious app (this happens with newer version of this infection), you will need to follow Option 3: http://malwaretips.com/blogs/android-police-virus-removal/#reset
I finally reached the safe mode. Can anyone please help me to uninstall this app from Samsung Galaxy Note 3.
Thank you! I’ve used option 1 and worked perfectly! My infected application was “videoXporn”!
Thank you!
all BULL if you get the fbi malware! just go to safe mode by holding power off button, go to settings, and tap backup and reset. Tap to reset. Voila. No fbi malware.
Thank you so much, I couldn’t finally remove the app, but thanks for helping me unlock my phone. It was very helpful. Thanks again. :-)
thank you so much man this really worked god bless you
This was really start to worry me! Thank you so much.
I was having the same issue under the adobe flash player. While on safe mode I factory reset the phone, it seems to be gone
Any updates on how to remove the newest version? It was disguised as Norton AntiVirus. It will not let me take away its administrative rights. when I click deactivate it says you can not Uninstall this app on a lock screen and then the fbi warning comes up again.
Thank you SO much, this helped immensely. This has happened tome before on my pc, but never on my phone.
My device administrator was Flash Player. I removed that and it worked. Thanks
This is the latest version of malware. Right now there are no known methods to remove this!
Some variants of this new ransomware will uninstall themselves if you enter a random, long-enough number to satisfy the MoneyPak/Ukash demand. However, this is not the case with all variants and there’s always the risk that the malware authors will create future functionality to harm the user if they input incorrect data.
I tried all the options on this guide but I can’t do any of them. My phone won’t seem to let me Uninstall it, or Deactivate it… And I can’t run the Avast apps with safe mode on… so when I try to run it with out safe mode it doesn’t give my phone enough time to scan and erase the virus before it pops up… does this mean my phone will be stuck with this forever? D:
So glad to find this! It helped me get my boyfriends phone back to normal. Thank you so much!
after you do the avast thing can you take your phone off safe mode
Thank you for your great guide! I’ve used it multiple times to help save many phones from this ransomeware. I however did run into a problem this last time I tried fixing this problem. The malicious app was named Adobe Flashplayer v1.0 and it is not allowing me to uninstall it. I’ve checked under Device Administrator Permissions but none of the apps have any boxes checked. Any thoughts on what to try next?
I’m having the same problem, but the FBI Virus keeps popping up before I can run it.
thank you soo much
it was a big help
Great guide !!!!!! Thank yoi…my galaxy s4 is now good!!! Thanks
This worked great! I followed Option 1. My malicious app was called : Abode Reader.
Thank you! Avast is great!
Hello Brittney,
To uninstall an App with Device Administrator Permission, go to Settings –> Security –> Device administrators
Here, you can see the various apps checked for Device Adminstrator access, just uncheck the app that you would like to uninstall and Deactivate it in the next screen.
Now you can go ahead and uninstall the app normally.
It says that I cannot uninstall because it is a active device administrator
Thank you you saved my boyfriends phone.
Hello,
Your phone must not be in safe mode. Restart in normal mode ans then run the Avast ransomware removal scan.
I’ve followed your instructions on installing avast through my computer but once i select in on my phone I am unable to run it while in safe mode. Is there a way around this issue?
Hello,
Did you try option 2: http://malwaretips.com/blogs/android-police-virus-removal/#avast-scan
thanxs for helping me you saved my phone and money
i cant unistall it and the pp up happens before the scan complets what should i do outside of try a factory reset
It worked!!! You saved my phone and you saved me from having money and my identity stolen!! Thank you so much, you are very appreciate :) – Sarah