Google Play Infested With Porn Apps, One-Click Fraud

by Christopher Freeburn | April 3, 2013 11:04 am

[1]Owners of smartphones and tablets runnning Google‘s (NASDAQ:GOOG[2]) Android operating system, beware. Not everything in the Google Play app store is what it claims to be[3].

Computer security experts say that a new kind of fraudulent app is proliferating in the Google Play store. Called one-click fraud apps, these apps advertise access to pornographic materials, but then bombard users with invitations to subscribe to a variety of pornographic websites, PC Magazine notes.

The cost of joining the websites can be fairly steep — as much as $1,000. That’s more than even dedicated porn fans are likely to pay. However, one expert said that accessing the website could generate affiliate click-through payments for the people behind the fake apps.

While the apps don’t currently pose more than an irritation for Android users, it is possible that they could eventually morph into vehicles to obtain personal information on users.

Security giant Symantec has tracked 200 such fake apps, released by 50 developers. Those apps had been downloaded at least 5,000 times, but it was unclear if any users had agreed to the high-priced porn services being promoted.

In January, Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL[4]) announced that users had downloaded[5] more than 20 billion iOS apps from its App Store since its launch in 2008.

Shares of Google fell fractionally in Wednesday morning trading.

Source URL: https://investorplace.com/2013/04/google-play-infested-with-porn-apps-one-click-fraud/

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