Fake apps! Don't get tricked by these chameleons!

Messages iOS will try to trick you into paying a subscription fee. Immediately after installing this app I got a prompt to pay weekly  ($3.99) or annually (around $34.99). You actually can close this and get to use the app for free but features such as scheduling and blocking require a subscription. You get those on Messages by Google for free. All in all, this app kinda works but it's not well designed and tries to extort money from you. Some users report that after subscribing to Messages iOS the app started to randomly draw money from their bank account, but I wasn't able to test this.

Messages iOS 17 immediately asked me to upload my phone number for advertising and marketing purposes. I did not agree, obviously, so I wasn't able to test the avalanche of ads ready to come my way. 

Messages iOS 16: Next I installed this one, oh and by the way, when you install these apps they change their names on your phone. The app tries to imitate the iPhone messaging app. It seems to work, but it is absolutely loaded with ads over ads - to the point of being unusable.

Smart Messages: This one appeared to be a legitimate messaging app, but I don't see a reason why anyone should use it. It asks for ($12.99) a year to remove ads. It has a terms and conditions page where it says what AD providers are used (Google AdMob, Twitter MoPub, Facebook Audience Network and Smaato.), etc. but you can decline.

There's another elephant in the room with most of these apps. You can't request deletion of your data. Which means once you install these apps, your data isn't yours anymore.

Messages Phone 15 - OS 17 Msg: Immediately says it will upload your phone number for advertisement and marketing purposes. I did not accept.

The most popular case concerns an app called SmartThings, which masks itself as a Samsung product. This app is a simple remote for Samsung-made smart TV sets and other smart home gadgets, but it requires a subscription. There's a forum thread about it and several articles telling the stories of various victims.

Actually the name of the app is Smart TV Things for Sam TV App and this should be enough of a red flag. I tried this one as well, and it kinda works, very slow to connect to your network, it does the TV Remote job but it asks for a subscription, while Samsung's own SmartThings app is completely free. 

The situation is similar at other app stores, such as the Huawei App Gallery, the Xiaomi Store, and even the Galaxy Store. The apps above tried to scam me into subscriptions and abuse my info for ad purposes but that's not the worst that can happen to you. What are the potential dangers?

Fake apps can steal your money, but that's not all

Subscription/Billing fraud - obviously, this is the most widespread way to steal money. Apps will try to make you subscribe to a service and then drain your bank account.

Adware/Malware - most often than not, these fake apps are filled to the brim with adware and malware, serving you suspicious ads and selling every bit of information to shady companies all around the world.

Virus/Ransomware - fake apps could be housing dangerous viruses; some of them are known as ransomware. They encrypt all your data and extort money from you in order to get it back.

These are the most common threats, but there are many more: spam bots that start sending messages to your contacts; trojan horses that take control of your phone; phishing apps that can drain your bank account in seconds; root kits; and more. What to do?

How to recognize fake apps

There are small hints here and there, and if you just pay a tiny bit of attention, you'd be able to catch those fake apps way before they've made their way onto your phone.



Visual cues - Look for discrepancies in the visual representation of the app. The logo might look similar to an app you know, but there will be differences—slightly different colors and shapes, for example. If it looks fishy, go and read the name and description carefully.

Spelling/Grammar errors - Often, there will be intentional mistakes in the spelling of the app or straight-on grammar errors. This is done to avoid copyright strikes from the real company owining the real app, which the impostor app is trying to mimic.

Ratings/Reviews - This one can be tricky, as there are fake reviews and review bots, but you can check the score of the app and the user's reviews just in case. If the score is low or the review section is disabled, this is a red flag.

Check the number of downloads - If an app claims to be an alternative to iMessage for Android, chances are millions of people have already downloaded it. If the app has been downloaded a couple hundred or thousands of times, it's a red flag.

Conclusion

There's no such thing as a perfectly safe environment. And this applies to our phones as well. Everything connected to the internet is a potential security risk. This doesn't mean you should burn your phone and go live in a cave. Not at all. We're constantly living with various levels of risk in all kinds of areas.

You could be hit by a car or a brick from a construction site nearby, or you could be mugged, fall ill, or choke with something. If we start to think hard about all this, it'll lead to paranoia, and we'll end up locked inside our houses.

The key is to be aware without giving in to fear, and this extends to smartphone apps as well. With a little extra effort and if you're familiar with all the pitfalls, you could tackle those fake apps and other smartphone-related dangers. Just don't rush and spend a few moments checking for red flags before you install something on your phone. It could save you money and a lot of white hair.