With many people turning to VPN apps to protect their data while working remotely, this illustrates how important it is for users to research VPN apps before installing them, including who is behind the product, their track record with other products and user reviews, and experience in offering security and privacy apps.”įleeceware apps can come in any category. “These apps are not behaving maliciously so they circumvent screening processes to be added to the official app stores that users trust.
In this case, the VPNs are being sold for $9.99 (USD) a week, when trustworthy VPNs cost ten times less.,” said Nikolaos Chrysaidos, Head of Mobile Threats & Security at Avast. “Fleeceware apps fall into a gray area, because they are not malicious per se, they simply charge users absurd amounts of money for weekly, monthly or yearly subscriptions for features that should be offered at much lower costs. After attempting to purchase the subscriptions again, Avast researchers were notified they already have a subscription and thus were unable to establish a VPN connection using any of the apps.
The apps’ privacy policies also have very similar language and structure.Īvast researchers installed the three apps and successfully purchased subscriptions to each app however when they tried to use the VPNs, the apps only provided subscription options again. In between the rave reviews, there are a few reviews warning of the scams. The apps’ all have high ratings, ranging from 4.6 to 4.8, and include enthusiastic reviews, all similarly written, which Avast considers may potentially be fake.
#Avast vpn cost us dollars trial
The apps claim to be VPN apps, charging $9.99 (USD) a week for a weekly subscription once their free three day trial expires. The apps are available on the Apple App Store as Beetle VPN, Buckler VPN, and Hat VPN Pro, and according to data from Sensor Tower, a mobile apps marketing intelligence and insights company, the apps have been downloaded over 420K, 271K, and 96K times respectively between April 2019 and May 2020. The three apps, which overcharge users, do not provide the services they promote and appear to in fact be “fleeceware”. Digital security vendor Avast has revealed that several new apps - at one stage freely available on the Apple App Store - are in fact fraudulent.
0 kommentar(er)
