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Scammers’ Latest Trick? Fake Apps

Watch Out for Fake Apps! The holidays are here and the scammers are out in force. Their latest trick? Fake Apps. Since 2008 when mobile apps first appeared in the Apple App Store, many retail stores have jumped on the bandwagon. These apps give consumers improved customer experiences offering features that aren’t possible anywhere else. They


Watch Out for Fake Apps! The holidays are here and the scammers are out in force. Their latest trick? Fake Apps.

Since 2008 when mobile apps first appeared in the Apple App Store, many retail stores have jumped on the bandwagon. These apps give consumers improved customer experiences offering features that aren’t possible anywhere else. They offer customized shopping experiences, special offers and instore engagement, while being able to use mobile payments and loyalty programs.

Scammers have caught on to the popularity of these mobile apps and now are now creating fake ones.

These apps trick you into downloading them to your smartphone or tablet, and ask you to load your credit card information. You can guess what happens next.

 

Keep your information safe. Here are 5 things to keep in mind about this Scam of The Week:

  1. Be very cautious in deciding what app to download. Better safe than sorry
  2. If you *do* decide to download an app, first thing to check is the reviews, apps with few reviews or bad reviews are a big Red Flag
  3. Never click on a link in an email to download a new app. Go to the retailer’s website to link to the legit app on the App Store or Google Play.
  4. Give as little information as possible if you decide to use an app.
  5. Be very, very reluctant to link your credit card to any app!

Here is an article from the New York Times for more information on these fake apps: http://www.nytimes.com/2016/11/07/technology/more-iphone-fake-retail-apps-before-holidays.html