Anyone else open TV email on mobile only to be sent to dodgy websites?

[isnakebite]

I receive notifications on my Samsung that I have received a TV email newsletter, fine. I open the email on my phone and click on a TV topic headline and then I find I get notification of a claim that my version of Play Store is out of date.

I don't click on any of the options, I cilck the back button on my phone and suddenly the screen changes and if I had selected a link and now I am shown a website claiming to allow me to download a new version of Google Play. Obvoiusly not my choice, it's obviously a fake website. The only way I can get further internet access is to restart my phone. After I restart and click the internet app the phone is telling me that it can't open the last page I was on (the dodgy phone one) which has a url of something along the lines of "cellphone". Regaining internet access is then easy I remove the window and just open another one.

I'm very curious if anyone else is experiencing this. It happened to me today and other times I have opened the email on my phone this week. As far as I can determine it is only linked to the TV newsletter email.

[Maestro]

I have never had this, nor have I seen any post by another member mentioning it.

If you want to check whether you have the latest version of the Google Play Store app on your phone, go to

> Settings

> Apps

> scroll down to Google Play Store and tap on it

At the top left of the screen, you see the version number. On my phone it is Version 5.10.30, which is the latest version.

[RichCor]

Some mobile users have reported receiving rouge ADS (ads with scripts) that redirect them to playstore or appstore games. Suggest you clear your browser cache.

If you don't own/control the WiFi connection you're using then it's also possible *someone* has configured the system to use a rogue server entry that can redirect the DNS lookups to any address of their choosing.

[isnakebite]

Thanks for the replies. My phone automatically updates so there is no reason for me to visit a website. I did check and Maestro, I have the same version as you.

Today it worked fine, no problems. Yesterday it didn't. I think 4 times in the last 3 weeks and it appears only related to the TV emails.

Richcor, one notable difference was no appearance of an ad this morning. Yesterday I had what I would describe as a hovering ad which counts down and says it will disappear in 12 or so seconds. This maybe the very same ad you mentioned. In the past on the top right corner of the ad are a selection of crosses. I have always pressed them. Pressing this makes the ad disappear. Recently pressing this leaves to the bogus links. I will delete the cache as you recommend. Should this reappear I will leave the ad to count down and see what happens.

[RichCor]

Yesterday I had what I would describe as a hovering ad which counts down and says it will disappear in 12 or so seconds. This maybe the very same ad you mentioned. In the past on the top right corner of the ad are a selection of crosses. I have always pressed them. Pressing this makes the ad disappear. Recently pressing this leaves to the bogus links.

Yea, that's one of the scripted ads. There is little oversight on these ads, nobody monitors them once they're put into rotation. Sometimes the X isn't really an actual 'close' option, sometimes the scripts are deliberately set to misfire.

I can usually press these to close even before the timer does its countdown thing, but other times the countdown timer and 'close' option really only works if you actually wait.

Google ads work differently when displayed on mobile devices.