I have a client who's iphone started sending garbled messages randomly to mail contacts this afternoon. I have tracked these and they have originated from her iPhone 5c. Her iOS version is 7.1. Has anyone else came across this?
The phone is not jailbroken I assume. There is no way of getting a virus on your iPhone. However I would try the following.
Close the Mail App completely from the multitasking window by double clicking the Home button and swiping up the Mail preview window all the way up.
Then do a hard reboot. Hold down the Home and Wake/Sleep buttons at the same time for about 15-20 seconds until the Apple logo appears. Ignore the "Slide to power off" text if it comes up. You will not loose anything.
Then go to the Mail account under Settings, delete the account and add it again.
The phone is not jailbroken and yes in my mind it should not be possible for malicious software to get onto the phone however the iOS version is very old and the behaviour is much like that of malicious software. I am instructing her to factory reset the device and upgrade the version of iOS to the latest build.
I agree, that is the right recommendation. The iOS could be corrupted. Do a complete reset and restore. The instructions are here. Hope this helps...
Use iTunes to restore your iPhone, iPad, or iPod to factory settings - Apple Support
Possible iOS Mail Virus
