Bogus Paid Antivirus App Tricks 10,000 Users

An illegitimate paid antivirus solution called Virus Shield was spotted retailing at $3.99 in the Android marketplace, the Android Police announced on their website.

Some 10,000 people have downloaded Virus Shield in a week and 1,700 awarded the app with a 4.7 star rating. This translates in $40,000 in gains for the developer of the application, Deviant Solutions, a known scammer previously accused of trying to trick people on forums.

What`s more, 2,607 users have supposedly recommended the app on Google +.

Virus Shield claims to be an antivirus designed to “protect you and your personal information from harmful viruses, malware, and spyware.” At the same time, the app promises to “improve the speed of your phone.”

The app`s description in Google Play is filled with fake benefits such as long-lasting battery life and ad blocker functionality to ward off “pesky advertisements.”

Android police investigated the app`s source code and said that it has no security advantages. As a result, the application has been taken down from the store.

This is one of the many scams involving antivirus software. Last week, a fake Bitdefender antivirus download was posted on YouTube to lead users to fraudulent surveys and premium SMS scam.

To avoid downloading fake apps posing security risks, users are advised to verify the publisher`s authenticity and download from reputable sources and to keep their mobile security solution updated.

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