How to Spot Fake Apps Before You Download Them

By Chris Clark, founder of Senior Tech Cafe

Fake apps are copycat or made-up apps built to steal your money, your passwords or your personal information, and the good ones look exactly like the real thing.

Say the phone rings, and the caller says he’s a police officer. Your bank account might be involved in a fraud case, he tells you, and to help with the investigation you need to download a special app. It all looks very official, with case numbers and legal-looking documents. But the app is a trap.

Once installed, it asks for your bank details and personal information. Then it blocks your incoming calls and texts, so the alerts from your bank about suspicious activity never reach you. Before you can say “scam,” these digital crooks have made off with your cash and your information, leaving you wondering what hit you.

No real police officer or bank will ask you to install an app over the phone. The fakes that turn up everywhere else take a little more checking. Here’s how.

What Are Fake Apps?

Fake apps are designed to trick you into thinking they’re the real deal, when they were actually built by criminals to harm you or your device. Some copy a famous app’s name and icon. Others pretend to be something new and handy, like a free photo editor, a package tracker or a “security” app.

These sneaky apps might look just like the ones you know and love, but they’re hiding some nasty surprises: nonstop ads, spying on what you do, and stealing your personal information.

How Are They Dangerous?

These phony apps can make your life miserable in all sorts of ways. They might invade your privacy by accessing your location, camera, or microphone.

Some can even infect your phone with malware, like adware that bombards you with ads, spyware that monitors your every move, or ransomware that locks up your device until you pay up.

Others might try to scam you by selling fake goods or services or trick you into giving away your personal information.

How Do Fake Apps End up in Official App Stores?

You might be surprised to learn that fake apps can sneak into official stores like Google Play and Apple’s App Store. Both stores review apps before they go live and pull bad ones when they’re caught. Some still slip through, because crooks are good at hiding what an app will really do.

Plenty of fake apps never go near a store at all. They arrive as a download link in a text, an email or a pop-up. On an iPhone in the US, apps come from the App Store, which closes most of that door. If anyone asks you to install a “profile” or a test version of an app on an iPhone, say no. Android phones can install apps from other places once you allow it, which is handy for experts and a gift to scammers. If a message asks you to install an app from a link, don’t.

How to Spot Fake Apps

To spot a fake app, check three things before you tap Install: who made it, what other people say about it, and what it wants to access on your phone. A real app from a well-known company lists that company’s exact name as the developer, has a long history of reviews, and has no interest in your contacts if it’s a flashlight.

The safest shortcut skips the search entirely. Go to the company’s own website, typing the address yourself, and follow its link to the app. Otherwise, run through these red flags.

Check the Reviews

If an app has a low rating and lots of user complaints, that’s a big red flag. Sort by the newest reviews too, since a fake can collect five stars early and the one-star warnings later. And if the reviews seem too good to be true, all short, gushing and posted around the same time, they might be fake ones written to trick you.

Look at the Number of Downloads

On Google Play, popular apps show millions or even billions of downloads. If a well-known app only has a few thousand, it’s probably a fake. Some sneaky fakes rack up big numbers too, so compare downloads to reviews: a million downloads and nine reviews doesn’t add up. The App Store doesn’t show downloads, so look at the number of ratings instead.

Research the Developer

Tap the developer’s name to see what else they’ve made, then do a quick web search for it. If they’re legit, you’ll find a real company website and a track record. Watch out for names that look like a well-known company’s with a few letters changed or an extra word tacked on.

Review the App Permissions

This one matters most. Before you install, scroll to the Data safety section on Google Play or App Privacy on the App Store, which list what the app collects. The developer fills those in, so they’re a clue, not a guarantee. Then watch what the app asks for the first time you open it. If a simple app like a flashlight wants your contacts, or a calculator needs your photos, that’s a big no-no. Our guide to app permissions explains what each request means.

Check the Release Date and Age

Most popular apps have been around for a while. If you see a “famous” app with a recent release date but a high number of downloads, it could be a fake. Newer apps also haven’t had as much time to accumulate negative reviews or be reported as malware.

Look for Typos and Grammar Mistakes

Real app makers usually have editors to make sure everything is spelled correctly and reads well. If you spot obvious errors in the app name or description, proceed with caution. The reverse isn’t true anymore, though. Scammers now use AI to write polished descriptions, so clean writing proves nothing on its own.

Watch Out for Low-Quality or Suspicious Images

Many fake apps use low-quality images or screenshots that look photoshopped. If the branding looks sloppy or unprofessional, it could be a fake.

Check the App’s Icon

Fake apps often use icons that look similar to the real deal, but with slight differences in color or design. If something seems off, take a closer look.

Be Wary of Apps That Ask for Too Much Personal Info

If an app is asking for sensitive info like passwords or credit card details right off the bat, that’s a big red flag.

Keep an Eye on the Ads

While many legit apps have ads, fake apps often take it to the extreme. If an app is so overloaded with ads that it’s nearly impossible to use, it’s probably a fake.

Trust Your Gut

If something about an app seems too good to be true or just doesn’t feel right, don’t download it. Better safe than sorry!

What Google Play Protect Does

Google Play Protect is a free security scanner built into Android phones that checks your apps for harmful behavior. Think of it as a bodyguard that comes with the phone. It’s switched on by default, and Google recommends leaving it that way.

Here’s what it does:

• Checks apps before you download them from the Google Play Store.
• Scans your phone for harmful apps, including ones that came from outside Google Play.
• Warns you when it finds an app that looks dangerous or grabs personal information it shouldn’t.
• Turns off or removes harmful apps in some cases.

To check that it’s on (menu names shift a little between phones):

1. Open the Google Play Store app.
2. Tap your profile picture in the top-right corner.
3. Tap Play Protect, then Settings (the gear icon).
4. Make sure Scan apps with Play Protect is switched on.

Back on the Play Protect screen, the Scan button checks your phone on the spot. It’s a good bodyguard, but brand-new scams can get past it for a while, so the red flags above still matter.

iPhones don’t have Play Protect. Apple reviews every app in the App Store instead, and on a US iPhone that’s where nearly every app comes from.

What to Do If You Installed a Fake App

If you think you’ve installed a fake app, take these steps in order.

1. Delete the app. On an iPhone, press and hold its icon, tap Remove App, then Delete App. On Android, press and hold it and tap Uninstall.
2. Scan your phone. On Android, open Play Protect in the Play Store and tap Scan.
3. Change any password you typed into it, and anywhere else you use that password. Our hacked account recovery guide walks through it.
4. Call your bank if you entered bank or card details, using the number on the back of your card. Here’s what to do if you gave a scammer your bank details.
5. Report the app. On Google Play, open the app’s page, tap the three dots and choose Flag as inappropriate. For the App Store, go to reportaproblem.apple.com.

Types of Fake Apps Hackers Target Most

Hackers love to copy popular apps, so be especially careful before installing an app in categories like these:

• Banking: Fake banking apps trick you into handing over your login or card details. Get your bank’s app from the link on its website.
• Games: Copies of well-known games, stuffed with ads or sneaky in-app charges.
• Dating: Fake dating apps lure you into paying for upgrades or subscriptions that go nowhere.
• Crypto wallets: If you dabble in cryptocurrency, watch for fake wallet apps built to steal your private keys, the secret codes that control your coins.
• “Security” and “support” apps: Anything a caller or a pop-up urges you to install so they can “fix” your phone or “protect” your account.

The best defense is a little suspicion and one habit: get apps from the official store or the company’s own link, and never because a stranger told you to. For the rest of the checklist, start with our online safety guide for seniors. Then go enjoy your apps. The real ones are pretty great.

Questions About Fake Apps

Does Google Play Protect Catch Every Fake App?

No. Google Play Protect catches a lot of harmful apps, and it checks apps that came from outside Google Play too, but brand-new scams can slip past it for a while. Keep it switched on, then do your own checks: the developer’s name, the reviews, and what the app wants permission to access.

Can You Get Fake Apps on an iPhone?

Yes, though it’s less common. Apple reviews every app in the App Store, and on a US iPhone nearly every app comes from there, but copycats occasionally get through. Check the developer’s name, the number of ratings and the App Privacy section before you install, just as you would on Android.

How Can I Tell If an App Already on My Phone Is Fake?

A fake app often gives itself away after you install it. It asks for permissions it doesn’t need, floods you with ads, or wants passwords and card numbers right away. If an app you already have starts acting like that, delete it, then change any password you typed into it and tell your bank if you entered card details.

Should I Install an App a Caller Tells Me to Download?

No. Banks, police departments and government agencies don’t settle problems by having you install an app while they wait on the phone. A caller who insists is almost certainly a scammer trying to get into your phone or your bank account. Hang up and call the organization back on a number you already trust.