Even though Google regularly removes fraudulent and dangerous apps from the Play Store, scammers continue to find new ways to pose as legitimate applications. Recently, Google removed approximately 1.5 million dangerous apps that steal user data, sell it on the dark web, or directly blackmail users for significant amounts of money.

So, how can you tell if an app is real or fake? When you search for a popular app on the Play Store, you often see multiple apps with very similar names. Many of these are hidden fake third-party apps. Here are some simple ways to identify fake third-party apps and antivirus software when downloading them to your phone.

Easy Ways to Identify Fake Apps:

1. Check the Name and Developer: First, it’s crucial to check the name of the developer for the app you intend to download. Often, you’ll see multiple apps with the same name. In such cases, it’s essential to carefully review the app’s name and description. Before downloading any app from the Google Play Store or Apple App Store, checking its reviews, ratings, and download count can give you a good indication of its authenticity.
2. Verify Release Date and Screenshots: It’s also important to know when the app was published. Before downloading an app, carefully examine its screenshots. If anything looks suspicious, stay away from that app.
3. Pay Attention to Permissions: You can also identify fake apps by checking what permissions an app requests on your phone. If an app asks for unnecessary permissions like camera, audio, location, phone calls, or any other unrelated access, it could be a fake app. These types of permissions can be exploited for cyber fraud.
4. Spelling and Grammatical Errors: Read the app’s description before downloading. If you find spelling or grammatical errors in an app, it’s more likely to be fake. Authentic apps usually don’t have such mistakes.
5. Use Google Play Protect: You can protect your apps and device from malware threats using Google Play Protect. To enable Play Protect: Go to your profile icon in the Play Store app, tap on ‘Play Protect’, go to settings, and enable ‘Scan apps with Play Protect’. To verify your device: To check if your device is ‘Play Protect Certified’, open the Google Play Store app. Go to the profile icon in the top right corner, then to settings, and see if your device is ‘Play Protect Certified’.

By following these simple methods, you can protect yourself and your smartphone from fake and dangerous apps.