A rather shocking report by Buzzfeed has exposed a multi-million dollar scam that is being controlled by a network of shell companies in eastern Europe. These companies were using a front called We Purchase Apps to acquire Android apps from their developers and soon gained control over 125 apps available on Google Play Store. According to data from AppBrain, the combined downloads of these Android apps are 115 million and the app among these 125 that has the most downloads is EverythingMe Launcher. Going by what cybersecurity firm Protected Media has to say, these apps tracked user behaviour and then used this information to model a massive network of botnets that pretended to be human users. Their network of bots even bypassed the fraud detection tools that are used by advertisers and Google to stay away from scams like these. By doing this, We Purchase Apps was able to show a huge user base of the apps to advertisers – which led them to make $700 million to $800 million in the first quarter of the year alone.
Buzzfeed has provided the list of apps and websites that have been affected to Google, and the company’s independent analysis confirmed the presence of botnet driven traffic. The technology giant has so far deleted over 30 of these apps from Google Play Store. Google has also said that it had removed 10 apps in the scheme and blocked a number of websites even before Buzzfeed contacted them. Investigations are being carried on at Google regarding this matter. Till all of these mobile apps that are tracking user behaviour are removed, you must uninstall them from your smartphone immediately.
Here’s a list of apps that, according to Buzzfeed, are tracking the behaviour of its users:
EverythingMe Launcher
Number of downloads: 10,000,000+
Google Play Store link: EverythingMe Launcher
Dropwords and Dropwords PRO
Number of downloads:
Dropwords: 5,000,000+
Dropwords PRO: 10,000+
Google Play Store links: Dropwords
Muscle Drift Simulator 2018 and Muscle Drift Simulator 2018 Pro
Number of downloads:
Muscle Drift Simulator 2018: 1,000,000+
Muscle Drift Simulator 2018 Pro: 100+
Google Play Store links: Muscle Drift Simulator 2018
Muscle Drift Simulator 2018 Pro
Carry Over The Hill and Carry Over The Hill – Space
Number of downloads:
Carry Over The Hill: 1,000,000+
Carry Over The Hill: Space: 500,000+
Google Play Store links: Carry Over The Hill
Guess the Restaurant Quiz – Logo Trivia Game
Number of downloads: 1,000,000+
Google Play Store link: Guess the Restaurant Quiz – Logo Trivia Game
Pix UI Icon Pack 2 – Free Pixel Icon Pack
Number of downloads: 1,000,000+
Google Play Store link: Pix UI Icon Pack 2 – Free Pixel Icon Pack
Smart Voice Assistant
Number of downloads: 1,000,000+
Google Play Store link: Smart Voice Assistant
Split Pic 2.0 – Clone Yourself
Number of downloads: 1,000,000+
Google Play Store link: Split Pic 2.0 – Clone Yourself
Twist Your Fingers!
Number of downloads: 1,000,000+
Google Play Store link: Twist Your Fingers!
Crossword Solver and Crosswords Solver Pro
Number of downloads:
Crossword Solver: 500,000+
Crosswords Solver Pro: 5.6 million
Google Play Store links: Crossword Solver
Cat Rescue PRO and Cat Rescue Puzzles
Number of downloads:
Cat Rescue PRO: 100+
Cat Rescue Puzzles: 500,000+
Google Play Store links: Cat Rescue PRO
Grumpy Weather Widget
Number of downloads: 500,000+
Google Play Store link: Grumpy Jumpy Cat
Smart Riddles
Number of downloads: 500,000+
Google Play Store link: Smart Riddles
Teen Truth or Dare
Number of downloads: 500,000+
Google Play Store link: Teen Truth or Dare
Traffic Hour
Number of downloads: 500,000+
Google Play Store link: Traffic Hour
Word Search Free
Number of downloads: 100,000+
Google Play Store link: Word Search Free
Guess the Game Icon Quiz
Number of downloads: 100,000+
Google Play Store link: Guess the Game Icon Quiz
Iconic – Guess Character Quiz – Pics Trivia Game
Number of downloads: 100,000+
Google Play Store link: Iconic – Guess Character Quiz – Pics Trivia Game
Kids Truth and Dare
Number of downloads: 100,000+
Google Play Store link: Kids Truth and Dare
Photo Editor – Pencil Sketch
Number of downloads: 100,000+
Google Play Store link: Photo Editor – Pencil Sketch
Self Help Books
Number of downloads: 100,000+
Google Play Store link: Self Help Books
Basketball Throw
Number of downloads: 100,000+
Google Play Store link: Basketball Throw
Copter Escape FREE
Number of downloads: 100,000+
Google Play Store link: Copter Escape FREE
Fit It Puzzles: Tangram Style Puzzles
Number of downloads: 100,000+
Google Play Store link: Fit It Puzzles: Tangram Style Puzzles
Gluten Free Food Finder and Gluten Free Food Finder PRO
Number of downloads:
Gluten Free Food Finder: 100,000+
Gluten Free Food Finder PRO: 100+
Google Play Store links: Gluten Free Food Finder
Call Blocker
Number of downloads: 10,000+
Google Play Store link: Call Blocker
Dots and Boxes
Number of downloads: 10,000+
Google Play Store link: Dots and Boxes
Hide image, video of Whatsapp
Number of downloads: 10,000+
Google Play Store link: Hide image, video of Whatsapp
Track My Shows
Number of downloads: 10,000+
Google Play Store link: Track My Shows
Word Search Movies
Number of downloads: 10,000+
Google Play Store link: Word Search Movies
Minesweeper Professional
Number of downloads: 5,000+
Google Play Store link: Minesweeper Professional
Call Analytics: Detailed Call Logger + SMS History
Number of downloads: 1,000+
Google Play Store link: Call Analytics: Detailed Call Logger + SMS History
Expense Manager
Number of downloads: 1,000+
Google Play Store link: Expense Manager
Sports Balls Crash
Number of downloads: 500+
Google Play Store link: Sports Balls Crash
FuTorrent Pro
Number of downloads: 500+
Google Play Store link: FuTorrent Pro
Grumpy Jumpy Cat
Number of downloads: 100+
Google Play Store link: Grumpy Jumpy Cat
Lazy Alarm
Number of downloads: 100+
Google Play Store link: Lazy Alarm
Restaurant Finder Pro
Number of downloads: 100+
Google Play Store link: Restaurant Finder Pro
Crazy Frog Multiplayer Game
Number of downloads: 10+
Google Play Store link: Crazy Frog Multiplayer Game
Pop Face – try for free! addictive and fun game!
Number of downloads: 10+
Google Play Store link: Pop Face – try for free! addictive and fun game!
Bottle Roulette
Number of downloads: 10+
Google Play Store link: Bottle Roulette
Bottle Escape
Number of downloads: 1+
Google Play Store link: Bottle Escape
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