Scams reproduce fast. Once one scammer figures out a way to succeed, copycats decide to attempt it themselves.

In April, Google offered refunds to users who purchased a fake Kaspersky Mobile app from Google Play. Since then, there have been complaints of the same scam within the Android and Windows phone app stores.

The fake app was priced at $3.99US and contained the same branding techniques. The app had more than 10,000 downloads for the Android version. Google removed the app, refunded the affected customers, and provided them with $5 store credit.

Other popular brands affected by the scammers were: Aviva Antivirus, Mozilla Firefox, Google Chrome, Opera Mobile, Internet Explorer, and Safari.

Downloading fake apps can put your security at risk. Once you’ve downloaded the harmful app, the scammers are able to give your information to predators. They can also disable your phone and hold your information at ransom.

To protect yourself from purchasing fake apps, only use reputable app stores. You can use app such as Online Privacy Shield to keep your information from scammers.

Give us a call aand we will do our best to help you avoid these scams as well.