Beware of fake crypto apps, Google hasn’t removed them all yet

Google has flagged eight crypto apps as dangerous and removed them from the Play Store. The removed apps pretended to be cloud mining apps, but unfortunately there are still many dozens of suspicious apps that have not yet been removed from the Play Store.

Fake crypto apps

Research firm Trend Micro has unmasked the eight apps and indicates in the results of its research that the apps suggest that they can mine cryptocurrency for you remotely. The apps therefore ask users for in-app payments for this, but in reality the money is not invested in cloud mining at all. The amounts range from $14.99 to $189.99. Some of the apps are even paid apps.

These are the rogue apps that are thankfully no longer in the Play Store. Do you have one on your phone? Then remove them immediately via the settings > apps > app name > delete.

• BitFunds – Crypto Cloud Mining
• Bitcoin Miner – Cloud Mining
• Bitcoin (BTC) – Pool Mining Cloud Wallet
• Crypto Holic – Bitcoin Cloud Mining
• Daily Bitcoin Rewards – Cloud Based Mining System
• Bitcoin 2021
• MineBit Pro – Crypto Cloud Mining & btc miner
• Ethereum (ETH) – Pool Mining Cloud

Unfortunately, according to Micro, there are still more than 120 fake cryptocurrency mining apps available on the Play Store. According to the research firm, these apps have gained more than 4,500 users in the past year. All these apps do is defraud or trick users into viewing in-app ads.

How do you spot these fake crypto apps?

There is often nothing suspicious about the app and the listing in the Play Store. So read the app reviews first. Fake apps will receive numerous 5-star reviews once they’re released publicly, but don’t let that fool you as they could be paid fake reviews. Better to look for the one star reviews.

In addition, you can try to enter an incorrect wallet address. As soon as the app accepts this address, you know something is wrong. You can also restart the app or your phone while the app is mining. Most fake apps just continue to mine through fake counters.

Crypto Theme Week

In April we held the Crypto Theme Week at Androidworld and then we paid a lot of attention to the ways in which you can buy and manage Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies on your phone. An overview of all apps, background articles and tips from this theme week can be found here.

Do you have such a suspicious crypto app on your phone? Let us know in the comments at the bottom of this article.