Beware of fake ChatGPT apps! They can scam you out of money; delete if you downloaded any

ChatGPT’s soaring popularity has turned into an opportunity for online scammers! The buzz around this popular AI chatbot sparked the roll out of slew of fake apps on the Google Play Store and the Apple App Store. Now, cybersecurity firm Sophos has warned the public about these fake ChatGPT apps. It says that downloading these appps can be dangerous and also, they have have near-zero functionality and are constantly serving ads. The report has warned that these apps coerce unsuspecting users into signing up for a subscription that can cost hundreds of dollars a year.

How does this fake ChatGPT app scam work? Sophos refers to these misleading apps as 'fleeceware' and describes them as apps that bombard users with advertisements until they surrender and get the subscription. These apps are deliberately designed to have limited use after the free trial expires, leading users to uninstall the app without realizing they are still bound to make monthly or weekly payments for the subscription.

The report says that five investigated fake ChatGPT apps were available with names such as "Chat GBT" to mislead users and enhance their visibility in the Google Play or App Store rankings. It must be noted that OpenAI's chatGPT provides core features free to use online, while these fake apps charged users anywhere from $10 per month to $70 per year, the report added. Another fleeceware app called Genie enticed users to subscribe for $7 per week or $70 per year, amassing $1 million in revenue over the past month.

What you should do?

• Some of these ChatGPT fleeceware apps have already been removed from the app stores but it is expected that new ones will surface in the future.
• Hence, you need to be aware of these fake AI apps. Always be sure before downloading an app that it is real.
• Also, always be sure to read the fine print before hitting the ‘subscribe’ button.
• In case you find such fake ChatGPT apps, you should report them to Apple and Google.
• Users who have already installed these apps should adhere to the guidelines provided by the App Store or Google Play store on how to "unsubscribe." Merely deleting the fleeceware app will not cancel the subscription.