Beware of Fleeceware Android apps on Google Play store

For long, the Google Play store has been plagued with malware-laced apps, which use shady methods to steal personal information and some times siphon off money.

Now, Sophos Security researcher has uncovered a new class of apps dubbed as 'Fleeceware'. Apparently, several application developers have misused the Google Play Market policy to swindle customers money by charging them unscrupulously on simple services such as QR code reading, GIF maker, photo editing and other stuff.

As per the Play Market policy, premium app creators have to give a minimum of 3-day free trial for the prospective customers to get the feel of the applications and if the latter likes it, they can subscribe to the service or else unsubscribe and then uninstall.

There is a common practice among the users to just uninstall the app from their Android phones and this implies that he or she is no longer interested to continue using the app. Almost all developers understand that and don't charge the customer after the trial period ends.

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However, these fleeceware app developers have been found to charge a huge premium of more than €200 Euros on simple services even if the customer has uninstalled them from their phones. Their excuse is that the user has not un-subscribed the service.

Sophos security researchers detected around 15 such shady apps with millions of installation on Play store and informed Google.

After taking note of the issue, the search engine giant notified the guilty app developers and so far, 14 of them have been taken off the Play store. There seem to be more such bad applications still active and Android mobile phone users are advised to exercise caution while downloading an app.

Aforementioned Fleeceware Android apps are still active on Play store (Picture Credit: SophosLabs)

"We encourage Google to do more to tighten up their policies that, currently, do not explicitly prohibit app developers from taking advantage of this in-app purchasing loophole. Customers who experience buyer’s remorse may have no recourse to ask for refunds after a few days. If you aren’t very actively monitoring your credit card for charges like this, you might not notice until the window for refunds has closed," Jagadeesh Chandraiahm, Sophos Labs, said on the official blog.

It is also a good practice to download apps only from Google Play store (for Android) and Apple App Store (for iOS). And, always read app reviews at the bottom to get insights from the past users.

Read more | Google drops two Android camera apps from Play store

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