Downloaded Any Of These 28 Android Apps From Google Play? Your Money May Already Be Gone

Google Play is not as safe as you think. Researchers found 28 apps that charged millions of users for private data they could never actually access.

A newly exposed scam called CallPhantom used 28 Android apps to pocket real money.

Source : PlayStore

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Key points generated by AI, verified by newsroom

• Scam apps on Google Play promised call logs, SMS, WhatsApp history.
• Apps charged users for fake communication records, then vanished.
• ESET reported 28 apps, all removed from Google Play.

Google Play is generally considered a safer place to download Android apps, but that does not mean every app on the store can be trusted. A newly detailed scam puts that assumption to the test, with 28 apps collectively racking up more than 7.3 million downloads by claiming to give users access to other people's call logs, SMS records, and WhatsApp call history. 

The apps have since been removed, but not before reaching a significant number of users.

How Did The CallPhantom Apps Actually Work?

ESET researchers detailed the scam in a WeLiveSecurity report, referring to the apps collectively as "CallPhantom." The apps looked different from one another, but the core trick was the same: a user entered a phone number, paid to unlock the supposed communication records, and received fake data in return.

Some apps simply generated random phone numbers and paired them with names and call details already embedded in the app's code. Others asked for an email address where the "retrieved" history would supposedly be sent. 

Either way, ESET confirmed the apps did not request intrusive permissions and had no real ability to access the data they claimed to provide.

It is also worth acknowledging what these apps were actually promising. They were not offering discounted wallpapers or a weather widget. They claimed to hand over another person's private communication history, which puts the people who downloaded them in a complicated position.

What Made The Payment Side Of This Scam Particularly Messy?

Some apps used Google Play's official billing system, which may have allowed certain users to claim refunds. However, ESET found that others directed users toward third-party payment apps or card checkout forms built directly into the app. 

In at least one case, when a user tried to exit the app, it displayed deceptive alerts styled to look like incoming emails, claiming the call history results had arrived, before redirecting users back to a subscription screen.

ESET reported all 28 apps to Google on December 16, and every one of them had been removed from Google Play by the time the report was published. It serves as a reminder that even the Play Store can give problematic apps a large audience before they are caught.

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