2 FAKE INVESTMENT APPS REMOVED FROM GOOGLE PLAY STORE AFTER NOTICE FROM GUGRAON CYBER POLICE

Google has taken down two fake investment-related apps from its Play Store on Android following a notice from the Gurugram Police, as reported by IANS. The apps, named FHT and SS-Equitrade, were removed after the police sought action against them to combat cybercrime in the district.Recently, Google shared a report in which it revealed that it removed 2 million apps from Play Store in 2023. 

According to Naveen, the Station House Officer (SHO) of the cybercrime police station in Gurugram, these apps were used by cyber fraudsters to deceive people with promises of high returns on their investments. Investigations revealed that the FHT app alone had been downloaded by approximately 1.55 lakh users. Naveen issued a warning to the public, urging them not to transfer money for investment without thoroughly researching and obtaining complete information, cautioning that anyone could fall victim to cyber fraud.

This move comes amidst Google's intensified efforts to maintain the integrity of its Play Store platform. Recently, Google announced that it had prevented the publication of 2.28 million apps on the Play Store in 2023, a significant increase from the 1.43 million apps blocked in 2022. Additionally, the company disclosed that it had banned 333,000 potentially malicious developer accounts from the Android app store.

In a blog post addressing its measures to enhance user privacy and security, Google stated that nearly 200,000 app submissions were either rejected or remediated to ensure proper use of sensitive permissions, such as background location or SMS access. Furthermore, Google collaborated with Software Development Kit (SDK) providers to limit access to sensitive data and sharing, strengthening privacy measures across more than 31 SDKs, which impacted over 790,000 apps.

"Additionally, nearly 200,000 app submissions were either rejected or remediated to ensure the appropriate use of sensitive permissions, such as background location or SMS access. To further protect user privacy on a large scale, we collaborated with SDK providers to restrict sensitive data access and sharing, bolstering privacy measures for over 31 SDKs affecting more than 790,000 apps," the blog read.

Google's proactive approach underscores its commitment to safeguarding users from fraudulent and malicious activities on its platform. The removal of these fake investment apps reflects the company's ongoing efforts to maintain a safe and trustworthy environment for users of the Play Store.

 

2024-05-01T04:21:43Z dg43tfdfdgfd