🎭 How to Spot Fake Apps and Avoid App Store Scams

Frank Bravo 0:00
You're wanting to find an app that does something special, or maybe you just heard about an app from a friend of yours. So you open the app Store, type in the name, tap the first result that looks right. The icon looks familiar, the name is close enough, and there's a bunch of reviews, so you download it. Maybe you sign in and you move on with your day. But every so often, that app is not the one you thought you were getting. It's a copy. Sometimes it's a harmless copycat that all it wants to do is show you some ads. Sometimes it's quietly charging your credit card every month, and then sometimes it's after your username and password that you just typed in. The tricky part is that it's sitting right there in the official store next to the real thing, which is exactly why people trust it. So today we're going to talk about how to tell the real ones for the fake ones before you tap that download button. Hi, and welcome to your Tech Makeover, the podcast that gives you tips and tricks to help you simplify and get more out of the technology in your life. I'm your host, Frank Bravo. Today we're talking about fake apps and App Store scams. I want you to leave this episode knowing that fake apps end up in the official stores every once in a while, and the main kind of tricks they pull and what red flags give them the way. And then finally, some simple habits that you can check before you install that app. This works with both the Apple App Store and the Google Play Store. If this is your first time here, welcome! If you've listened to my podcast before, then thanks for being here. In both cases, I'd really appreciate it if you were to leave a rating and a comment and to subscribe to this podcast if you like listening to it. Anyways, let's get into it. So I get this question periodically aren't the App Store supposed to be safe? This is the part that really surprises people the most. So this is where I'm going to start. Both Apple and Google have a huge review policy that they go through to get apps in the App Store, and they do catch most and remove most of the bad ones out there. So the stores are not the Wild West. Downloading from the official stores is still the safest place than gambling and trying to get apps on some random website, and you should always start there. If you're on an iPhone, it's probably the place you're getting most of your apps anyway, because it's really hard to install apps that are not in the App Store. But remember, that review doesn't mean guaranteed millions of apps still get into that App Store, and scammers have gotten good at slipping past some of those checks. A common trick is to submit an app that behaves one way, and then flip on a bad behavior later. That sometimes happens a few weeks after. Sometimes it happens a couple of days after it gets approved. Once it's already in the live in the app Store, and it's in real users hands. The other thing they do is simply copy a popular app close enough to fool the person doing some quick searching without technically breaking a rule of the automated system. So right away, the way to think about it is that the store is the front door, and it's really good, and it's locked most of the time, but you're still the one who decides what gets in. A little bit of attention will close that gap that the store reviews might miss. So one thing to remember is that the fake apps are not all the same. They live in a couple of different categories. Like I was saying, here's a few of the big ones. The first is the copycat or the impersonator one. This is the app pretending to be something else. Your bank, a popular game, maybe a shopping site, a streaming service, you know, a well-known tool. The name is almost the same. Maybe a different word, or in there, maybe there's a slight misspelling, but the icon also looks right. The whole goal of this is for you to type in your real username and password, which the scammers collect. And this is the most dangerous kind because you're handing over the keys yourself. The second type is the kind that is called fleece, where there are apps that technically work. Maybe it's a flashlight or a photo editor, a QR scanner, which I've talked about before. A simple game, but they heat you up with a wildly overpriced subscription. Often there's a free trial that quietly rolls into a charge for the tool that really should be free, or at least not more than a couple of dollars. They're not stealing your password, but they are after your money. They are betting that you will just pay and then forget to cancel. The third type of app is an add to data app. What this means is that they do very little of what they promise, but it bombards you with ads and quietly collects information about you and your phone and then sells it. It's not dramatic, but the junk just takes up space and they're watching you. And then the fourth kind is probably the most serious, but thankfully the most rare in the official stores. It's the app that actually sells and actually installs malicious software that kind that goes after your messages, your phone, your banking apps. They're far more common when people download apps from just some random place outside the official stores. A quick shout out to listeners like you who helped make your tech makeover possible. Your support helps keep this podcast going and I truly appreciate it. Want to contribute? Just click the link in the show notes or visit your Tech makeover. Plus, as a thank you, supporters who give $25 or more will get $25 off a one time consultation with me to help you simplify your tech. Thanks for being part of the Your Tech Makeover community. Now back to what I was saying. So how do you spot them and what are the red flags that give these away? The good news is fake apps almost always leave a fingerprint, and if you know what you're looking for, you can spot them quickly on your own. So I always start with the developer name right under the app's title. The store lists who actually made it. This is the single most useful thing to check. The real Instagram app is made by Instagram Inc.. The real Bank of America app is made by Bank of America. If you're looking for a banking app and the developer's name is something you've never heard of, it's probably fake. Tap the developers name and then see what else they've published. The real company will have a coherent lineup of apps. A scammer often has a random pile of unrelated apps. The next thing to look for is the number of downloads in the age of the app. A genuine version of a major app probably has millions of downloads in years of history. If a major app shows only a few downloads or it was published in the last month, then something's off. On Android, Google Play shows you the exact download count on iOS. You have to lean into the ratings instead because they don't surface that information, so a real app will have a huge number of ratings with them. Then you want to read the reviews, but read them the right way. Skip the glowing five star ones because those are probably fake. Sort them by the recently critically reviewed ones. These are real people saying things like this charge my card and I couldn't cancel. This is not a real app. Watch for the reviews that are strangely generic, repetitive, and all posted within a day or two of each other. Then look really closely at the icon, the name, and the screenshots that are on the app. FAQs often have a slightly blurry logo, odd spelling, maybe some bad English in the description, or a screenshot that doesn't quite match what the app claims to do, and be suspicious of the free version of something that normally costs money, or a second copy of an app you know already exists. Finally, check the price in the subscription terms for the app before you commit to it. Scrolling down to the in-app purchase section of the listing is probably the easiest way to find it. If a simple flashlight app costs $9 a week to subscribe. That's fleece wear, and it's probably not the right one, so skip that one before you even pay a cent. So let me give you one habit that ties this all together. If you want a particular company's app, don't trust the search results. Go to the company's website first. Do that in your browser. Use the official download link in the button that you'll find on that site. Almost every real company your bank, your airline, your utility has a get your app setting somewhere on the page and that will send you right to the correct listing. That's one step that defeats every copycat, because you never have to guess with search results. Which one is the real one? But if you are browsing for a type of app like a photo editor or a game and you don't have a particular company in mind, then slow down and run a quick check. Confirm the developer looks legitimate, confirm the downloads and the rating counts aren't are super high because a good app would be super high. Read the recent reviews and then check the subscription price. 30s of looking might save you your passwords being taken or a surprise charge. And if you think that you've already installed a fake one, don't panic. Just delete it. If you typed in your password, though, you'll want to make sure that you change your password right away, especially if it's your email or your bank. And as I've talked about before, you're going to want to make sure you turn it on. Two factor authentication. This is a perfect time to do that. If you've signed up for a subscription, you'll need to make sure you actively cancel that as well. Just deleting the app doesn't delete the subscription, and your billing may continue on, and it never hurts to keep an eye on your bank statement for a month or two afterwards as well. So here's the reassuring part you don't need to be afraid of installing apps. You don't need to become an expert on what's real or not. The official stores are still the right place to get your apps. You just have to remember that the store is the front door, and you're deciding who comes in a few seconds of looking at the developers name the reviews, the price that usually tells you everything you need to know, and will tell you what is a real app from an imposter wearing the costume. So now you know what you're looking for. Take a look at the apps you've already installed on your phone, maybe the ones you just did this week. Is there one that you're not totally sure about? If it's the real version? I'd love to hear whether or not you found a fake one, because those stories are exactly what I want to make sure that other listeners know what to look for. So let me know. And as always, if you have ideas for topics you'd like me to cover, please feel free to email me at Frank at your tech makeover. That's it for now. Thanks for listening to your tech makeover. If you haven't done so already, don't forget to subscribe to this podcast so that you don't miss an episode. And if you're on Substack, make sure you subscribe to the newsletter so that you're alerted every time new content is posted. You can also check out your tech makeover, where you'll find more information about this and every episode. And if you want to find out more information about me, please visit Bravo. It's till next time. I'm Frank Bravo, and this has been your tech makeover.