Google took down a fake security app called Virus Shield from the Play Store, but only after thousands of smartphone users had downloaded the $4 app.
Virus Shield, an app that briefly topped the charts on Google Play Store's paid android apps list, was a fake one. As a result, Google pulled down the app from the Play Store a week after it was launched. During that period, the anonymous developer behind Virus Shield raked in more than about $40,000 rom nearly 10,000 downloads. The price of the app was $3.99.
More than 10,000 people trusted the new app in favor of several other options available within the Play Store. Apps from reliable sources like McAfee, Norton, AVIRA, AVAST, AVG, are available for download for free. These apps offer in-app purchases to unlock some additional features within the app. Virus Shield, on the other hand, required users to pay for the app before downloading it. The fake app first came to light after the Android Police found that it included no functionality whatsoever. The tech blog confirmed the bogus nature of the app from several Google+ users and also decompiled the app and mirrored the java code on GitHub.
"This is fraud, pure and simple, and the developer "Deviant Solutions" potentially made considerable amounts of money based on a complete lie," Android Police wrote at the time of its discovery. "We assume that a lot of the initial reviews were fake, but now that it's on the top of the charts, at least a few people will be buying it in the belief that it will protect them."
The tech site also found no associated website listed on the Play Store and an email address was linked to a banned account at Sythe.org. It is quite possible that the fraudsters will dodge Google and no refunds can be expected soon. Since Play Store is an open source, anyone can take advantage of it. To further prevent similar activities, Google must impose stricter filtering to prevent cons like Virus Shield to get into the Play Store without proper verification.
Besides the shocking download figure, the app was rated 4.7 stars in the Play Store, which attracted more users. Once installed, the app simply turns an X indicating inactive to a check mark suggesting active protection. It claimed low impact on battery life and "No, ZERO pesky advertisements!" which turned out to be true, but it did not scan files and folders for harmful content as promised.
Google Play Store allows users to claim a refund within 15 minutes of installing the app. This means users can verify the app's functions and proceed accordingly.
