Fitness Apps Scam Users Out Of Their Holiday Spirit
By: Jim Stickley and Tina Davis
December 31, 2018
It’s that time of year where we start packing on the pounds with all the holiday goodies around all the time. Some of the more ambitious of us may want to get a head start on the weight loss… or for some, keep it off to begin with. A great way to start is with fitness apps. There are a lot those out there that can be downloaded to help us track calories and fitness, but two of them recently were found to be scamming these users out of more than $100.
The culprits are called Fitness Balance App and Calories Tracker App. According to users on Reddit and researchers at ESET, these apps pretend to be free, but using the Apple TouchID feature, will actually charge the card associated to the ID. The cost is between approximately $120 and $160 (converted from the advertised 139,99€). However the price isn’t shown in advance, but only for a split second after clicking to download the apps. By the time it is realized, the user has been charged the fee.
A few other TouchID scam apps have been discovered and also seem to be doing a good job at getting people to make purchases. Heart Rate Monitor App, Asks for print, and App purchase pops up are known today, but rest assure, there will be many more continually found.
When downloading apps, be sure to read reviews. Although in this case, there were about eighteen reviews that were primarily positive, perhaps that isn’t enough to get a good feeling for the quality of the product. Most people have many acquaintances that will post positive reviews for a pal. If not, then it’s easy for scammers to find someone who will do it for some payment…or they’ll just do it themselves. Typically, if all the reviews are glowing or even all leaning positive, it could indicate fake reviews. Let’s face it; there is always something to complain about with these apps. Posting fake reviews is a very well-known strategy to scammers. It helps them boost the reputation of the products.
For these two apps, there is also a pop-up that appears if the user doesn’t scan the fingerprint. It has a “continue” button, which after it is clicked tries the payment procedure again. This is a big sign that you probably don’t want that app or any app that behaves that way. Just cancel the transaction and find another one. There are many fitness apps from well-known and reputable companies to choose from.
Finding fake or questionable apps in the official apps stores is not unheard of, by any means. However, Apple is known for stricter requirements for getting products in its store. So it’s still safer to use it than to sideload apps from other sites. Apple has removed these two from the iOS store, but not before many were scammed. Users who tried to get their money back were met with a “generic” reply from the developer that the issue would be fixed in the next version. You can guess that won’t happen. Researchers believe the same author created both apps and it’s likely that with a finger alongside his nose and by giving a nod, up the chimney the money and that developer rose.