Don’t get ripped off by this fake app; over 10 million have already installed it

Many of our readers are probably aware that they can access the latest firmware update for their Samsung phone directly from the handset. Samsung says to go to Settings > About phone > Software update. 

Now, are you sitting down? The app has been installed over 10 million times and we would imagine that quite a bit of money has been collected from unsuspecting consumers. CSIS malware analyst Aleksejs Kuprins says that he has contacted Google about having the app removed from the Google Play Store. While it might not be considered malware, the only reason why this app exists is to get unsuspecting consumers to pay for something that they can get for free.

The developers hope you’ll pay up to download firmware on your phone

Don’t pay for something that you can get for free directly from your phone

On the other hand, as Kurins notes, those of us who know how to load updates on our phones shouldn’t judge those who aren’t familiar with how mobile technology works. He says, “”It would be wrong to judge people for mistakenly going to the official application store for the firmware updates after buying a new Android device. Vendors frequently bundle their Android OS builds with an intimidating number of software, and it can easily get confusing. A user can feel a bit lost about the [system] update procedure. Hence can make a mistake of going to the official application store to look for a system update.” But that doesn’t mean that they should be easy prey for an app that rips them off blind.

For another charge, you can have your phone unlocked