Beware of Fake Retail Apps
by Amber Mac on November 15, 2016
There are more than two million apps in the iTunes App Store and discovering the most helpful of these is difficult enough without the latest news reveal a surge in fake retail apps. As The New York Times reveals in a recent article, “The counterfeiters have masqueraded as retail chains like Dollar Tree and Foot Locker, big department stores like Dillard’s and Nordstrom, online product bazaars like Zappos.com and Polyvore, and luxury-goods makers like Jimmy Choo, Christian Dior and Salvatore Ferragamo.”
Although Apple is actively policing these submissions, it’s clearly impossible to catch every offender and the risks for consumers are many. Aside from the general frustration of a dud download, there are major security issues. If one of these apps requests your credit card information, you are now vulnerable to a slew of security problems. If one of these developers requests that you sign in with your Facebook credentials, you are now vulnerable to a slew of privacy problems.
Here are a few red flags to consider before downloading:
- Brand name is spelled slightly incorrectly
- No reviews attached to the app
- Zero-star reviews attached to the app
- No customer support information
Before you download any app, do a quick Google search to ensure its legitimate (in other words, has been reviewed online on reputable websites).
