Apple App Store users are battling an app farm infestation. The App Store is being hacked by Apple App scammers who hack private iTunes accounts to make purchases of bogus apps. The hacks steal money from iTunes accounts and boost the App Store rankings of these apps.
App store cover blown by greedy scammers
The App Store scam probably would have gone undetected longer if not for a thieving app farm developer known as Thuat Nguyen. Nguyen got too greedy with his app farms and 40 of his apps showed up within the top 50 App Store rankings. Other app developers smelled something wrong and Apple pulled the Thuat Nguyen apps. Thousands of dollars were stolen by Nguyen and other App Store scammers, who are still active.
App Store rankings compromised
News about the App Store scam broke when thenextweb.com reported that Thuat Nguyen had hacked some iTunes accounts and purchased his own apps using those accounts. When their popular titles were displaced within the App Store rankings by Nguyen apps, two app developers sent the alarm. To buy apps, many iTunes accounts were hacked. Some iTunes users have reported anywhere between $ 100 and $ 1,400 spent using their accounts. All iTunes users should check their accounts for stealth purchases of cheap apps (around $ 1-$ 3) followed by one at an outrageous price (around $ 90 ). As outlined by thenextweb.com, hackers are also signing users up for a free app called World War that sends their money to scammer accounts.
Protect yourself from the App Store scam
To verify that you have or have not become a victim of the App Store scam, it is easy to check the security of your own iTunes account.
This is the procedure done by PCWorld:
Click on your account name on the right hand side of the iTunes menu bar. After entering your password, click on the View Account button. You’ll be taken to the Apple Account Information page where you are able to view your purchase history. From there, you are able to make sure that all your app purchases are ones that you’ve made. If you spot an app you didn’t buy among your recent purchases, click the Report a Problem button. To safeguard against a compromised password, you are able to click on Edit Account Info to change it. Longer passwords containing numbers and special characters are harder for hackers to crack.
App farms continue to scam
The Apple App Store scam hasn’t been eliminated with the purging of the Thuat Nguyen apps. Betanews.com reports that at least two other scam developers are using similar practices. Stay away from three apps by Charismaist. One Charismaist app is an apparent sonic mosquito repellent that has scammed users out of as much as $ 100, despite the fact that it is marked as free. Storm 8’s App Store scam uses in-game point purchases costing as much as $ 150. One iTunes user reported up to $ 1,400 in bogus charges from a Storm 8 game. Charismaist and Storm 8 are both still within the App store.
More of the app store scam details
The Apple App Store scam is used primarily make bogus purchases that elevate the apps within the iTunes ranking so users will be attracted to the apps based upon on their high sales. Look out for app icons with low res images that come from the web. The scammers’ websites and support links direct users to non-existent web sites or landing pages. The Next Web said that all the bogus apps are owned by unknown, Asia-based developers. Evidently the scam has been happening over the last four weeks.
More about this topic at these websites:
thenextweb.com
thenextweb.com/apple/2010/07/04/app-store-hacked/comment-page-1/#comment-11929
PC World
pcworld.com/businesscenter/article/200503/apps_disappear_from_app_store_amid_hacking_complaints.html
betanews.com
betanews.com/article/Apple-still-silent-as-more-scams-are-found-on-App-Store/1278363193
