The virus, called Bingomod, was discovered by the security firm Cleafy Earlier this year.
Bingo mod gives fraudsters the ability to drain bank accounts and access personal information on infected phones.
After the attack, the phone is completely wiped and reset.
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So the phone can get the virus
To infect a phone with the virus, fraudsters send hoax text messages that appear to come from regular anti-virus programs.
In the text message, the user is asked to download the fake antivirus program via a link, which gives the fraudsters full access to the phone.
Right now Bingomod only targets English, Romanian and Italian Android devices, but there is a risk that the virus will spread to more countries in the future.
It is unclear whether Bingo mod can bypass security systems that use facial or fingerprint recognition.
Photo: Techa Tungateja / Alamy / Stella Pictures
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The warning: “Do not click”
Several tech sites are now issuing a warning to Android users to beware of the virus. One of them is Tom’s Guide, which urges its readers to be careful when receiving text messages from unknown senders.
“Do not click on links that may appear in (the SMS), and do not respond to them either,” writes the site.
Furthermore, Tom’s Guide claims that the virus is in active development, and that this probably won’t be the last we hear about it.
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How to protect yourself from Android viruses
There are several things you can do to protect yourself from viruses and other security threats in your Android phone. Here are some tips, taken from Forbes:
Photo: Unsplash
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