Attention everyone’ you need to delete the ‘Fleeceware’ apps before you become another victim of its fraud and lose a fortune. According to a new report, more than 24 apps on the Google Play Store have recently found a loophole and are charging users with hundreds of dollars who fail to cancel their free trial and the worst part, you can still be charged with the fee even though you uninstall the apps before the end of the trial.
The worst part about this exploitation is that some apps have their fee ranging between $100 to $240 as stated by a security researcher Jagadeesh Chandraiah. So even though the user will enjoy a three-day trial, free of charge, but when it ends they will be automatically charged with monthly or yearly subscription with a fee of $90 at least.
The apps that are in the radar only offer some very basic functionality to users such as QR scanner or a GIF maker and we think it is not something users will be willing to spend hundreds of dollars on. SophosLabs reported regarding these apps to Google and out of the 15 mentioned, 14 apps are already removed from the Google Play Store.
· Old Me
· Camera Search By Image
· Compass Pro
· Professional GIF Maker
· Pic Collage
· QR Code Reader
Read next: Google Play Store Apps Take Android User Data Without Consent
Featured photo: Getty
What you need to do in order to avoid that:
Last week, SophosLabs detected exploitation in the apps and is calling the apps as an example of ‘fleeceware’. In the Google Play Store, users can download the apps for free trials that may last for few days or weeks but after the trial is up the user needs to cancel the subscription by uninstalling the app and also informing the developer of those apps to avoid any fee cost. If a user fails to do that then they might be charged a small amount.
The worst part about this exploitation is that some apps have their fee ranging between $100 to $240 as stated by a security researcher Jagadeesh Chandraiah. So even though the user will enjoy a three-day trial, free of charge, but when it ends they will be automatically charged with monthly or yearly subscription with a fee of $90 at least.
- Also read: Several Changes Coming to Google Play Store
The apps that are in the radar only offer some very basic functionality to users such as QR scanner or a GIF maker and we think it is not something users will be willing to spend hundreds of dollars on. SophosLabs reported regarding these apps to Google and out of the 15 mentioned, 14 apps are already removed from the Google Play Store.
What kind of apps Android users should avoid?
Although Google removed so many apps in order to maintain the platform free from any exploiting apps but there are still so many apps on the Play Store that exist and are not yet considered against the policies of the platform but to not end up a victim with loss of hundreds you should be aware of the apps that include following features
· Old Me
· Camera Search By Image
· Compass Pro
· Professional GIF Maker
· Pic Collage
· QR Code Reader
Bottom Line
We are the generation that relies on digital apps for the majority of the tasks now and most of them do help us with our daily chores but along with so many helpful apps, there also exist apps with malware and exploitation in disguise. So it is better to be aware of them to not end up becoming their victim. Next time if you’re scrolling in the app store and find some app that might help make your life more comfortable you should read it terms, condition and permission-access in detail because it might affect you in the ways you never thought as most things in life don’t come to you free of cost.Read next: Google Play Store Apps Take Android User Data Without Consent
Featured photo: Getty
