As the online world is progressing we are seeing new types of frauds and scams every day. App Developers are trying to make money from unethical methods and last week Google came to know about 22 popular apps on their Play store that had malicious codes to create fake click impressions via users to generate ad revenue. That was just one of the strategies we know as they had several other methods and did them without obtaining the user consent.
Google’s secret investigation revealed that some of the apps were downloaded more than 50 million and 100 million times, which is pretty massive considering the money they would have made in this fraud.
“We take these allegations very seriously and our Google Play Developer policies prohibit deceptive and malicious behaviour on our platform. If an app violates our policies, we take action,”
Google said Business Times, India Edition.
Also Read: Google Brings Big Changes In Sexual Misconduct Policies After Employees Walk Out Protesting
Although Google is very strict about developer rules before making apps available on its platform for download. One just can’t get an app registered something is against their guidelines. However, there are some developers who can cheat even Google and successfully register fake and potentially harmful apps on Playstore.
Most of the apps that have been removed were reportedly linked to ad network named Andr/Clickr-ad. Below you will understand how these ads work
What is Andr/Clickr-ad?
It is a well-organized malware system that has been made to it attractive for users by offering them some free rewards so that maximum people download such apps. Users click on the ads and generate tons of revenue for this network. Additionally, these ads are mostly of fake websites/apps that harm your device.
According to a blog post of Sophos, an antivirus providing company that helped Google in spotting these fake apps, “Andr/Clickr-ad is a well-organized, persistent malware that has the potential to cause serious harm to end users, as well as the entire Android ecosystem,”
Here is the list of apps which have been removed from Play Store-
1.Hexablocks
2.Hexafall
3.Pairzap
4.Animalmatch
5.Roulettemania
6.Sparkle Flashlight
7.Snake Attack
8.ShapeSorter
8.Take A Trip
9.Magnifeye
10.Join UP
11.Zombie Killer
12.Space Rocke
13.Just Flashlight
14.Table Soccer
15.Cliff Diver
16.Box Stack
17.Jelly Slice
18.AK Blackjack
19.Color Tiles
20.PairZap
Google is trying its best to keep us safe, but it becomes our responsibility to keep a check of things before downloading them on our smartphone. Of course, detecting a fake app is not that difficult after all if you read about them carefully.
