Every time there’s a big launch, the fake applications appear. It happened with WhatsApp The application of the law, Super Mario Run, Pokémon Go, Apex Legends and many more. The problem is how to detect that an app is fraudulent.
In this article we will tell you six clues that you can use to determine if an app is possibly a scam You’re either malware or just not who you say you are. If possible, before installing it, when the damage would have already been done.
Not in Google Play
Google Play has its own protection systems against potentially harmful applications. It is true that Google’s approach to this is more focused on malware than in poor quality apps but at least serves as a first filter that eliminates the most harmful apps.
To avoid Google Play controls, they are usually distributed via APK
As a result, many of these fake applications are not available on Google Play They must be downloaded as APK for various reasons such as they are a beta or Google’s policy prevents them from distributing it on Google Play.
It’s true that fraudulent applications sneak into Google Play from time to time but you’re less likely to have harmful applications. When an application isn’t available at the official Google Store, it’s a good reason to suspect.
The name or logo is a copy of another app
Fraudulent applications are mainly classified into two types: the ones that pretend to be other applications and those that don’t, but they promise amazing things. This first case is easy to discover as long as you take a good look at what you are installing.
Copy and impersonate other apps is very common in fraudulent apps, as they take advantage of the fact that an application or game is not yet available on Android to fill the gap of desperate users who are looking for it and think they have found it.
If one app has no scruples about copying another, it won’t have any scruples about ripping you off either
As a general rule, if a developer has the few scruples about copying to another application, he probably has them for make money at your expense by showing you advertising or fooling you in any way possible, as we saw for example with Testfoni which made it to number one on Google Play.
It occupies too little for what it is
If the APK is too small to be true, it probably isn’t
Of course, in these cases it is often played with the concept that it is not the complete game, but a launcher that downloads it This does not apply in all cases, however. For example, it does not make sense if it is an application and not a game.
There is no fixed rule about how much an application normally occupies, but the truth is that the vast majority of real applications exceed 10 MB, reaching 100 MB or more when they’re especially complex. In some cases the opposite may be true: an application may take up too much space for what it is.
It’s too good to be true.
Fraudulent applications need to trick you into using them so that, if they don’t pretend to be other applications, what they pretend is their usefulness. It is increasingly difficult to stand out in an application market with billions of applications, so some of these fraudulent applications promise the impossible.
With a walk through Google Play you’ll find applications that promise to charge your phone with Reiki power, charge your phone with solar power or boost your Wi-Fi signal as if by magic. Really it’s not magic, it’s a lie.
The difference between joke apps and fake apps is becoming more and more blurred
Although for legal reasons, most of these applications specify in Google Play that are a joke The fact that you have not read the entire text and believe it is a deception.
Once again, if the developer has the few scruples of trying to trick you into installing an app that is useless, then surely you should not hesitate to include the more obscure monetization SDKs those who occasionally jump into the limelight on issues such as the advertising fraud.
He’s asking you for permissions that don’t make sense
Some applications need few permissions to work, others need more. There is no exact figure that tells us where to draw the line between normal and non-standard permissions, but depends in each case on the application and what it’s for.
Generally, applications that interact at a higher level with the system, need a lot of permissions, and this also applies to some games that are out of the ordinary, like Pokémon Go which uses the camera and GPS. Although from so much giving permissions in Android we have almost got used to pounding the Accept without thinking, that’s exactly what you should do: think the permits make sense.
Location permissions, SMS, calls, user accounts should set off alarms.
Not all permits are the same, and the ones that should set off the alarms are the access to contacts, accounts, location and SMS and calls. So much so that Google has recently imposed usage restrictions but they only apply if the app is installed from Google Play.
Another permission widely used by fraudulent applications, to spy on you, is to obtain the list of applications that are in operation which in most cases is not justified unless you’re trying an app like ActionDash.
They’re advertised to the top
Unfortunately, this is the only section you can only check after the application has been installed. As far as fraudulent applications are concerned, this is not optimal, as I could already be spying on you, but it is known that better late than never.
Google prohibits applications that are full full of advertising but still a lot of them get into your store and the ban does not apply to those who install outside Google Play. While in some cases they are simply developers desperate to monetize the app The use of a web browser is also a characteristic feature of fraudulent apps.
Many fraudulent apps only serve to make the user see as many ads as possible
The deception of the fraudulent apps usually does not last long, as the user soon realizes that he does not get what was promised after trying it. Therefore, it is common that this type of apps are inflated with advertising to maximize profits before the user leaves and never returns.
In short, while not all highly publicized apps are fraudulent, they do most fraudulent apps are highly publicized. In any case, neither is something you want to have on your cell phone.
