Google again kicked hundreds of rogue apps from the Play Store. This time it's the turn of 151 fraudulent applications that have killed millions of people around the world.
Hundreds of these apps were discovered by cybersecurity researchers from Avast. These apps were discovered to be part of a fraudulent campaign called UltimaSMS.
This scam campaign takes advantage of rogue apps pretending to offer functions like photo editor, camera filters, QR code scanner, and more. But once downloaded, this application actually registers users to a subscription premium SMS service which is not cheap.
Once the user installs one of the UltimaSMs applications, the application will check the location, IMEI and mobile number to find out the area code and language that should be used for fraud.
Once users open the app, they'll see a screen asking for a phone number, and in some cases, an email address to access the features the app promises.
After users enter the requested information, they will be immediately registered to a premium SMS service which can cost up to USD 40 per month, depending on the country and operator.
Instead of providing the promised features, the app will instead display other premium SMS service options or even stop working. Victims who realize too late will then be sucked in their credit every week by the fraudulent service.
Worse, before being removed by Google from the Play Store 151 this application had been downloaded more than 10.5 million times and the victims were spread across 80 countries. Most of the victims of these apps are from Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, United Arab Emirates, Turkey and Oman.
These 151 applications are known to have the same structure. The profiles and descriptions on the Play Store are also made as attractive as possible, but upon closer inspection it turns out that these apps have a basic privacy policy and developer profile.
The distribution is also very wide because these applications are also promoted through social media such as Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and others, as quoted from BGR, Saturday (10/30/2021).
Currently 151 applications have been kicked from the Play Store, but users who have already downloaded them still have to delete the application from their cellphone. To see the full list of 151 rogue apps, click here.
Avast also reminds users to always be careful when downloading applications and always read the reviews carefully. If you find a suspicious application, don't immediately give your phone number or email address.
