On Friday, for example, an entity calling itself Overstock Inc. In other instances, the counterfeiters change their names and credentials, and resubmit similar apps after one round of fakes is discovered. In some cases, developers change the content of an app after it has been approved by Apple’s monitors. In September, Apple also embarked on a campaign to review all two million apps in the App Store and remove “apps that no longer function as intended, don’t follow current review guidelines or are outdated.” The company says that a significant number of apps have been removed and that the review is continuing.ĭespite Apple’s efforts, new fake apps appear every day. We’ve removed these offending apps and will continue to be vigilant about looking for apps that might put our users at risk.” “We’ve set up ways for customers and developers to flag fraudulent or suspicious apps, which we promptly investigate to ensure the App Store is safe and secure. “We strive to offer customers the best experience possible, and we take their security very seriously,” said an Apple spokesman, Tom Neumayr. Other apps were removed after a New York Post article last week drew attention to some of the counterfeits.

“It’s important that brands monitor how their name is being used,” he said.Īpple removed hundreds of fake apps on Thursday night after The New York Times inquired about the specific app vendors that created many of them. With apps becoming more popular as a way to shop, it is up to brands and developers themselves to watch for fakes and report them, much as they scan for fake websites, said Ben Reubenstein, chief executive of Possible Mobile, a Denver company that makes apps for JetBlue Airways, the PGA Tour and the Pokémon Company, among others. In practice, however, Apple focuses more on blocking malicious software and does not routinely examine the thousands of apps submitted to the iTunes store every day to see if they are legitimately associated with the brand names listed on them. That scrutiny, which Apple markets as an advantage over Google’s less restrictive Android smartphone platform, is supposed to stop any software that is deceitful, that improperly uses another company’s intellectual property or that poses harm to consumers. The rogue apps, most of which came from developers in China, slipped through Apple’s process for reviewing every app before it is published. And some fakes encourage users to log in using their Facebook credentials, potentially exposing sensitive personal information. Some fake apps contain malware that can steal personal information or even lock the phone until the user pays a ransom.

Entering credit card information opens a customer to potential financial fraud. Some of them appeared to be relatively harmless - essentially junk apps that served up annoying pop-up ads, he said.īut there are serious risks to using a fake app.

Fake app names