Fake WhatsApp app on Google Play Store downloaded by over five lakh users
A counterfeit version of WhatsApp that looks like the original has been found on the Play Store, raising fresh questions about the platform's security.
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Questions have been raised once again about the security of Google's Play Store, where a fake version of WhatsApp has recently been found. The app looks exactly like the genuine WhatsApp. It uses the same logo, and its name has been kept the same as the original.
More than five lakh people have downloaded the app from the Play Store, which has added to the concern. It is particularly worrying for those who have recently downloaded WhatsApp on their smartphones.
WhatsApp is a popular messaging platform that offers messaging and calling. More than 2 billion people in 180 countries use it. The genuine Android version can be downloaded from the Google Play Store.
According to a report by Android Authority, a fake Google Chrome app surfaced some time ago, and now a fake WhatsApp app has also come to light. The fake Chrome app had been downloaded by more than one lakh people before it was removed from the Play Store. The fake WhatsApp app is 42 MB in size.
The developer is said to have boosted the app to trap as many people as possible and to get more downloads. In screengrabs shared by users, the app appears as a sponsored suggestion.
The genuine WhatsApp is listed on the Play Store under the developer name WhatsApp LLC. The fake WhatsApp has been published by a developer named Agment Assets sallu.
The description text of the fake app has been copied from WhatsApp's official Play Store description, with the spacing changed and some sentences edited. The fake listing is missing some sub-heads, paragraphs, and the Terms of Service and Learn More links.
The screenshots and advertisements have also been copied. The same image appears twice in the fake app. The fake app was published in September, and Google Play's early access feature may be being misused to block user reviews.
Android users should also note that the fake app does not appear in the top results when WhatsApp Messenger is searched for on the Play Store. With a fake Google Chrome found recently and a fake WhatsApp now, questions are being raised about the security of the Play Store.
