Alert! 17 apps removed from Google Play Store for snooping on users; Full list here
Google has reportedly removed 18 loan applications with over 1 crore downloads from the Play Store as they were snooping on users.
Google has reportedly removed 18 loan applications with over 1 crore downloads from the Play Store as they were snooping on users. According to reports, the information gathered by these apps from the user’s devices is used by fraudsters for blackmail and extortion. The fraudsters blackmail borrowers and force them into repaying the sum with high interest amounts. However, there has been no official confirmation regarding this app removal yet.
Google removes 17 apps from Play Store
According to ESET researchers, as many as 17 ‘SpyLoan’ were spotted on the Google Play Store over this year. These apps collect vast amounts of information about users from their devices. These applications were used by loan sharks to dupe users. These apps specifically aim at individuals residing in Africa, Latin America, and Southeast Asia.
The security firm reported about 18 SpyLoan apps with several millions of downloads to Google. The search giant has already removed 17 out of the 18 apps. The remaining app persists on the app store, albeit in a modified version with altered functionality and permissions. Even if Google has removed these apps from Play Store, Android users are also need to manually delete them from their phones to be safe from snooping.
Full List of removed 17 apps
- AA Kredit
- Amor Cash
- GuayabaCash
- EasyCredit
- Cashwow
- CrediBus
- FlashLoan
- PréstamosCrédito
- Préstamos De Crédito-YumiCash
- Go Crédito
- Instantáneo Préstamo
- Cartera grande
- Rápido Crédito
- Finupp Lending
- 4S Cash
- TrueNaira
- EasyCash
Earlier, the Union Home Ministry in India had blocked more than 100 websites which were involved in illegal investments and part-time job frauds as per the Information Technology Act of 2000 by the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY). As per an official statement, the blocked websites were operated by overseas individuals.
These fraud websites were identified by Indian Cybercrime Coordination Centre (I4C), which is a unit of the Union Home Ministry’s vertical National Cybercrime Threat Analytics Unit (NCTAU), and recommended blocking them last week. The websites were engaged in fraudulent investment schemes and part-time job scams in India.
Ms Kalinga