Note 10+ app issues

[TRexasorus]

This is the weirdest thing and I don't know how to stop it.  I currently have the new Note 10+ after using a Note 9 and a S7 Edge prior to that.  I'm not exactly sure when this started.  I end up with apps that aren't mine!  I'm not much of an app user.  I have a few restaurants, a couple games, my banking apps, and maybe a few stores but other than that the phone is empty.   I've noticed apps appearing.  At first I thought that Sprint had done an update and added new things.  I'd just delete them.  A couple of weeks ago I happened to be looking at the screen when a new app appeared...it was some candy game.  I started checking my phone and found other mystery apps and they appear as though someone is/had used them.  Some games had scores!!!  A zip code locator app had a "history" of different zip codes it looked up.  I had the IT guy at work look into it.  He's puzzled.  He suggested a factory reset which I did.  Without much on my phone it doesn't take very long.  Unfortunately it didn't fix the problem.  Yesterday I had some app called boomerang which I'm guessing is cartoons because it had a  pic of Bugs Bunny and a dog.  Another app was Wikipedia.  I have used that before on my desktop but never had it as an app. The question is how do I stop these apps from appearing and how can someone be using the apps on my phone?  Is there a setting that I'm missing????  I thought maybe its a "hot spot" setting or something.  I've never used hot spots and don't know anything about them really.  Ideas?

[Cat_Sprint]

I'm just triple checking, because this may require a fraud case, so I want to make sure that all the ducks are in a row and not on a rave.

Is it showing your device at home, or close enough, and in India? 

[fireguy_6364]

*tips hat*

spotted a familiar name so i jumped in 🙂

Cats got you for the big deeper stuff though. Good luck on this one. hope it gets squared out for you.

---

@TRexasorus wrote:

Thanks fireguy_6364.  You've helped me several times before.

---

[TRexasorus]

Sorry it took so long....I'm really not tech friendly.  Top show India location and the bottom is home.

[TRexasorus]

This morning I searched for my phone again and it's only showing the real me?  I just really don't understand.

[Em_Will_I_Am]

Wow, that escalated quickly!  I don't think your phone is cloned per se, but more so your Google username/password is compromised.  Shady companies get paid per download of an app(s), so if they get hold to someone's Google username/password, they can download at will.  Let me show you.

Here I am logged in as my daughter:

And this is me installing Spotify to her phone:

And why did it say you were in India?  Well, it's based on the GPS and/or IP of the computer/device that is logged in with your Google credentials.  Here is me on my work laptop signed in as my daughter:

It said zip code 73122 Oklahoma City, which is where I am at, but my daughter is actually in school in Warr Acres.

So, first things first, change the password on to your Google account.  Second, and I need everyone to pay attention to this including @Cat_Sprint and @fireguy_6364 ... TURN ON TWO FACTOR AUTHENTICATION ON YOUR GOOGLE ACCOUNT!!!  Not sure why this is not on by default, but it is awesome.  Whenever someone signs into your Google account, you get a full-screen notification asking if it is you.  You simply tap yes or no. 

1.  to your Google Account.
2. On the left navigation panel, click Security.
3. On the Signing in to Google panel, click 2-Step Verification.
4. Click Get started.
5. Follow the steps on the screen.

[TRexasorus]

Thanks I'll try that stuff.  I stopped at the Sprint store this morning and they helped me get rid of a lot of the things that weren't mine.  A couple things they didn't even recognize and when we tried to open them nothing happens. 

[fireguy_6364]

booyah. got to learn something new today.

[Em_Will_I_Am]

Each one...teach one.

---

@fireguy_6364 wrote:

booyah. got to learn something new today.

---