Delete these fake ChatGPT apps; they’re ripping you off

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The popularity of Open AI’s ChatGPT is at its peak, leaving many wanting to try it on their smartphones;  Unfortunately, the ones that find a way to do it on a mobile device fall victim to scams, losing their well-deserved money in the process.  

A report from Sophos suggests app developers are creating fake ChatGPT apps to trick users into paying expensive subscription fees. Sophos is a renowned cybersecurity firm investigating the rise of fake ChatGPT apps.

Security experts have identified five distinct ChatGPT apps on both the Google Play Store and App Store. While these apps are not considered malicious, they are classified as fleeceware, which presents its own set of problems.

Sophos also claims that most of these apps are free to install. Still, the free versions have close to zero functionality and constant ads, which eventually forces users to subscribe, which can be pretty expensive—the subscription range between $7 a week to $300 per year.

For example, take ChatGBT’s iOS version or Ask AI Assistant. Its subscription is $6/Week or $312/Year. According to SensorTower, fleeceware app developers are making hundreds of thousands of dollars each month.

Are fleeceware apps as dangerous as malicious apps?

The most interesting thing about these fleeceware apps is that they are designed to bypass Google and Apple’s security checks. But that didn’t stop Sophos from finding them back in 2019.

The fleeceware apps can be compared to malicious apps; however, there’s a big difference. The malicious apps will infect your smartphone and are very dangerous.

Fleeceware app developers employ deceptive tactics to gain trust from customers, such as inflating app reviews on the Play Store and App Store. They achieve this by utilizing the age-old method of generating fake reviews.

Delete fake ChatGPT apps immediately

In the midst of this turmoil, Sophos successfully identified numerous counterfeit ChatGPT applications on both Android and iOS platforms.

Sophos says the following ChatGPT apps are fake, and it is best to stay away from them or remove them from your device if they were previously installed. 

• Genie AI Chatbot: $7/Week or $70/Year
• GAl Assistant: $6/Week
• Al Chat GBT – Open Chatbot App: €6.49/Month
• Chat GBT: $6/Week or $312/Year after the 3-day trial. (iOS Version is named Ask AI Assistant)
• Al Chat – Chatbot Al Assistant: $8/Week, but there’s a way around it.
• Al Chatbot – Open Chat Writer: $6.99/Month or $79.99/Year

These apps are available on either iOS or Android, or both. Sophos has already reported all these apps to both Apple and Google, and most have already been removed. However, if the apps are already on your smartphone, uninstall them manually.

If you have these applications installed on your smartphone and think they add value to your ChatGPT experience, you are better off with OpenAI’s official ChatGPT Plus iOS app.

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