Fake GPS Apps with Over 50 Mn Downloads Found on Google Play Store

A researcher at a security firm has detected multiple fake GPS apps that mirror Google Maps features for ad revenue.

A researcher has found many fake GPS apps on the Google Play Store.

(Photo: Google Play Store)

Google has been under the radar for the past couple of months as each day it gets roped into some controversy or the other. The latest one hounding it are fake GPS apps found on its platform.

A researcher at ESET, Lukas Stefanko, was the first one to spot this and detected multiple fake applications that were using Google Maps as a layer for its own app.

According to Stefanko, he tested 15 such applications on the Google Play Store which violated Google’s policies. Some of these apps don’t even have a proper app icon.

The finding also shows that the fake apps just use the Google Map’s API and do not offer any additional value to the service. These fake applications are also running ads on their platforms.

These apps show themselves to be full featured navigation applications but all they do is create a layer between the user and the Google Maps App. The reason for these fake apps being on the platform are ad revenues and also most users and cajoled into buying a subscription for these apps.

In fact, he said that there are some apps that ask money to remove the ads while other applications as for permissions to access call records, GPS, text messages and more. A navigation app does not need access to all of these hence this can be construed as a major security threat.

Since the findings, Stefanko has reported these fake apps to Google and subsequently the tech giant has started an investigation into the matter and started reviewing these apps for removal.

Therefore, it is always recommended that you download and install apps from trusted companies and developers and avoid such fake apps which could prove to be malicious in nature.