iOS and Android Scam Apps Circulating on ‘TikTok’ Made $500,000 From 2.4 Million Users

guest · Sep 24, 2020

Scam Apps Circulating on ‘TikTok’ Made $500,000 From 2.4 Million Users
The adware network was reported by a 12-year-old girl
September 23, 2020
https://www.technadu.com/scam-apps-circulating-tiktok-made-500000-2-4-million-users/210051/

An increasing number of reports coming from ‘TikTok’ users talk about the coordinated effort of some profiles to distribute scamming applications on the platform. The adware apps are promoted by at least three profiles that have hundreds of thousands of followers each, and they have managed to convince about 2.4 million users to install them.

The fraudulent ads served by these apps is estimated to have made a profit of $500,000 for the crooks – and this is actually according to the most conservative estimations.
The victims come from both the Android and the iOS userspace, and besides TikTok, Avast researchers have found a link with Instagram accounts as well.
Click to expand...

Ben Pick, the Senior Application Security Consultant at nVisium, has provided us with the following comment on the above story:

[...] Check for excessive permissions and numerous bad reviews to prevent downloading similar scam or outright malicious apps. Unfortunately, this issue will not be going away as there is nothing stopping anyone from advertising their own interests or paid apps.
Click to expand...

Avast: Avast research found iOS and Android Scam Apps spreading via TikTok

Rogue TikTok accounts are promoting adware scam apps posing as “Shock Roulette” and “Wallpaper” apps
TikTok Promotion
Many of the apps are being promoted on TikTok via at least three profiles dedicated to pushing the apps, one of which has more than 300K followers. In addition to the TikTok profiles, Avast researchers also discovered an Instagram profile promoting one of the apps, with more than 5K followers.

The iOS and Android apps appear to be developed by the same person or group. The links promoted on the social media profiles lead to the iOS or Android versions of the apps, depending on the device the link is being accessed from.
Avast has reported the apps to Apple and Google, and has reported the profiles to TikTok and Instagram.
Click to expand...

Log in or Sign up

iOS and Android Scam Apps Circulating on ‘TikTok’ Made $500,000 From 2.4 Million Users

guest Guest

Log in or Sign up

iOS and Android Scam Apps Circulating on ‘TikTok’ Made $500,000 From 2.4 Million Users

guest Guest

Useful Searches