This is perhaps not the first time that you’re hearing about a fake app that managed to make its way to the Play Store. However, what differentiates the Virus Shield app from the rest is the fact that the app enjoyed great popularity before it got pulled from the major app store. What’s more, the app wasn’t even free; it went for $3.99/download.
Two weeks after being made available, the Virus Shield app got more than 10,000 downloads. Not only that, the app also received a near-perfect rating of 4.7 stars out of 5. This goes to show how ignorant many Android users remain to be till date.
Advertised as a powerful anti-virus application, Virus Shield also promised to ‘increase your phone’s battery life without pesky advertisements’. Well, we have to admit the package does sound alluring.
Thanks to folks over at Android Police that this widespread scam got what it deserved. After dissecting the app’s APK file, it was found by the Android Police team that the application virtually did nothing other than changing the notification once you turned the anti-virus on.
There’s no word yet if Google would be issuing refunds to buyers of the app, but it is quite clear that you need to think twice before making such a purchase. Of course, fellow nationites are in a better position since we don’t pay for apps as often as our western counterparts.
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