The application sector is subject to the rules of the free
market. It turns out that unscrupulous app publishers are abusing this freedom
to make dirty money.
Fleecewares conquer the market for mobile
applications
The mobile app market today is plagued by app publishers engaging in immoral practices. They are called fleeceware, a technical jargon coined by the British cybercrime company last September to refer to Appstore apps and other app banks. Fleeceware is paid apps that provide the most basic functionality as offered by legitimate iOS services like a flashlight, calculator, barcode reader ... for free.
Until then, in a market like any other, that should be free, these apps don't do anything illegal. Just as iOS allows apps to require payment, it's up to you to judge whether the service offered is really worth it.
The fraud lies in the method of payment. The publishers of these apps offer free trials from 3 days to a week. They mention that the service is chargeable after the free trial. But in a way, you wouldn't notice.
Billing continues even after the
uninstallation:
So you download the app thinking it's free, except that it costs up to $ 104 in 72 hours after the free trial. Even if you don't use it, just installing it is enough. And the catch is, even after you've uninstalled it (so you think you've canceled your subscription), Fleeceware will continue to bill and use your account directly without your knowledge.
The majority of app publishers interpret the fact that the user is uninstalling their app as canceling the trial period and stopping billing. However, others forward billing even though the app has been uninstalled and there is no special request from the user.
This scourge has claimed more than 3.5
million victims:
More than 3.5 million iOS users have been victims, according to Sophos, an IT security company.
They have listed 32 apps available on the Appstore that participate in this dishonest practice. These Ghost apps can bill you over $ 400 per year for subscribing to their basic services.
Sophos reports that 600 million users have installed these apps. Yes, that's a huge number, but the company goes on to state that it's probably because of the 5 stars these apps received that people get the incentive to download them. It is also recommended that all users check their payment history and subscription settings if they have not involuntarily subscribed to Fleeceware.
