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How did they work? After launching the app, users were requested to enter their mobile device model, username and the number of followers they wished to gain. So, it's 500,000 new followers with just one click of a button, right? Wrong. After pressing the button "Start Generating", the users were presented with another step called "human verification". fake apps on Google Play Figure 2: Application example However, this "verification" was only a cover-up used to draw the victim into an endless set of offerings of gifts, coupons and free services, as well as to request their personal information including name, email, address, telephone, date of birth, and gender. Users were also asked to consent to receiving telesales calls and text messages, some of which were premium-rated SMS subscriptions costing approximately 4.8 EUR per week. In fact, this "verification step" is an endless spiral. The only purpose of all those surveys, ads, offers, rewards, prizes, gift coupons and other cheap marketing tricks is to milk as much information and money from "follower-hungry" users as possible. The bogus apps that ESET discovered at Google Play promised something they could not deliver – namely a boost in the number of followers on the victim's social network profile. Instead, they brought users an endless set of subsequent offers, each of them simply being the next opportunity to trick users into sharing their personal information, consenting to marketing activities or even subscribing to a premium-rate SMS. Apps seen by ESET were removed from the Google Play app store, but users should continue to follow security best practice as similar apps may appear on Google Play again. Prior to installing any app, check its ratings and reviews. Focus on the negative ones, as they often come from legitimate users while positive feedback may be crafted by the attackers. designer bags cyber monday