Beware: Pokemon GO Fake Apps
Don’t be desperate and take an easy way to win more in Pokemon GO, you might just end up downloading a fake Pokemon GO app.
Beware, Pokemon Trainers!
A Pokemon GO malware app have been temporarily uploaded to the Google Play Store but failed. This may be out of sight now but it proves one thing, even Pokemon GO gamers can be vulnerable. This app is said to promise cheats, tips and other features to lure gamers to download the malicious app. Often, they have shady titles with destructive codes that tricks users to pay for costly services and can even take over the device to click porn adds and other things.
How to spot these fake Pokemon GO apps?
These apps were first discovered by security researchers at ESET Mobile Security, and included a lockscreen app called “Pokémon Go Ultimate” as well as “scareware” applications “Guide & Cheats for Pokémon GO” and “Install Pokémongo.”
Your Sydney CBD Repair Centre Team advises you to read the reviews of any malicious apps you find in the Play Store or the App Store before downloading. No matter how enticing the title or the features are.
What can these fake Pokemon GO apps really do?
According to the researchers, the app “Pokémon GO Ultimate” resembled the game itself, but would deliberately lock the screen after startup. Rebooting would not solve the problem, and instead, affected users would have to restart their devices by pulling out their battery or by using Android Device Manager. After a reboot, however, the app would continue to run in the background, clicking on porn advertisements. Users would have to uninstall the application manually from Android’s Settings.
The apps would promise users they could generate large numbers of in-game items like Pokécoins, Pokéballs or Lucky Eggs for Pokémon Go – up to 999,999 daily. However, before delivering on those promises, the apps would require users “verify” their accounts. At this point, fraudulent pop-ups would appear saying things like the device was infected with viruses and needed to be cleaned.
What to do if my smartphone is infected?
- Restarting your phone can help. If these apps prevents you from performing a restart, remove your smartphone’s battery. Once you have gained control over your device, uninstall the malicious app.
- Soft or factory reset is second option. This will erase the currently installed apps but files would still be safe just as long as these are backed up or saved on your micro SD card.
- Hard reset is the end game. Hard resetting your phone will erase all apps and settings you have on your smartphone. This ensures no traces of these malware are present after this procedure is done.
