ChatGPT users alert! Fake apps on Google Play, App Store stealing data; here's what you can do

HIGHLIGHTS

Cyber Attackers are targeting people with several fake ChatGPT apps 

ChatGPT Plus was introduced at $20 per month so that users can use the tool without any restrictions

Security researcher Dominic Alvieri was the first one to spot and understand the fraud.

The world of technology has been buzzing with OpenAI’s ‘ChatGPT’ for quite some time now. It generates responses to anything within seconds. However, Cyber attackers are targeting people with several fake apps that intend to make users pay for using their apps which look almost similar to ChatGPT. These apps are also available for download on Google Play Store and App Store, reported Business Insider India.

Recently, ChatGPT Plus was introduced at $20 per month so that users can use the tool without any restrictions. Hackers saw this as an opportunity to exploit users by offering free and uninterrupted premium content with the help of fake and malicious apps. The idea behind these offerings is to install malware apps in the users and steal crucial data.

Security researcher Dominic Alvieri was the first one to spot and understand the fraud. According to Business Insider, Alvieri found that the domain ‘chat-gpt-pc.online’ was being utilised to share Redline, an information-stealing malware posing as a ChatGPT.

Scamsters make a fake website that shows it can provide continuous access to ChatGPT and for that they use a Facebook page to spread the information. Fraudsters then fool users to download a ChatGPT Windows desktop client with the intention of spreading malware. In addition, numerous bogus ChatGPT apps are spreading on Google Play and other third-party Android app stores. These apps do not allow access to the chatbot itself, but rather infect devices with various types of malwares.

It is important to note that users can only access ChatGPT from its official website– chatgpt.openai.com. Currently, there is no official app of ChatGPT available anywhere.

Therefore, users should be extra cautious when it comes to using ChatGPT. If you come across any malicious app or have doubts about it on Google Play Store, you can report it by going to the app's listing page by clicking on the three-dot icon in the top-right corner, and then selecting 'Report as inappropriate.' You will then be asked to select a reason for doing so and then you can choose 'Copycat or impersonation' as the best option to report the app.

On the App Store, you can go to the app’s listing page and then scroll down to 'Report a problem,' and then click on 'Report a scam or fraud.'