The WeLiveSecurity blog associated with ESET antivirus warns in a post about the worrying scam development around FaceApp. The transition app has been skyrocketing in popularity over the past few weeks, due to a filter that ages faces incredibly realistically. However, this is based on a model. free : it is quite possible to use it in the free version, but many other filters are only accessible via in-app purchase for € 3.99 per month, € 19.99 per year or € 43.99 “for life” with the condition of upgrading to the PRO version. . Its mere presence – or rather high amount – is a tariff that encourages many users to look for free alternatives or a “cracked” version that does not exist.
Do not try to download “FaceApp PRO”: it’s a trap!
As you can imagine, the web hates the loophole: researchers explain that searching for the terms FaceApp Pro on Google yields more than 200,000 results (again, the app is actually only available under the name FaceApp). Searchers benefit from this powerful query in two ways. First, fake websites claiming to let you download the famous “FaceApp PRO” app for free. The researchers explain: “In reality, scammers use other paid apps and subscriptions, ads, surveys, etc. they trick them into clicking on countless offers to install. Victims also receive requests from various websites to enable notifications to be displayed. When enabled, these notifications lead to other scam offers”.
In the end, according to researchers, the very gullible Internet user finds himself at best with a completely normal version of FaceApp, except for downloading from sources other than the Play Store. “This means that users can easily download malware if that is the attackers’ intention.” Add researchers. Another method is YouTube videos. These encourage downloading “Facebook PRO” via the links in the description, which sometimes indicates that ROOT is not required (this can reinforce the Internet user’s feeling that they are about to download a “cracked” application). In this case the links “Point to apps whose sole function is to force users to install various additional apps from Google Play”.
In one case cited by ESET, the video was viewed more than 150,000 times. As in the previous case, the purpose was purely advertising, but again “Link shortening can cause users to install malware with one click. We’ve seen this happen in the past, for example when Fortnite is used as a bait. Researchers frankly recommend avoiding downloading applications from sources other than official virtual stores and paying attention to the data specified in their entry into the Google Play Store. Sufficient advice? What do you think ?
Source : ESET
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