Google removes 36 popular scam apps from Play Store; why you should delete them right now

Google has removed as many as 36 popular apps from its Play Store as they bombarded users with unwanted adverts and intrusive browser redirections. These apps had millions of downloads on the Play Store and if you have them on your smartphone, it is best to remove immediately. These apps take users to website links they hadn't even clicked on by the malicious software.

The scam was detected by researchers at WhiteOps. They found fraudulent code within the apps that suggested they could all be malicious and adware-packed. "We associated 38 apps with this threat, all of which have been taken down by the Play Store," researchers said. However, only names of 36 apps have been revealed. 

What are the apps removed?

Yoroko Camera

Solu Camera

Lite Beauty Camera

Beauty Collage Lite

Beauty & Filters Camera

Photo Collage & Beauty Camera

Beauty Camera Selfie Filter

Gaty Beauty Camera

Pand Selife Beauty Camera

Catoon Photo Editor & Selfie Beauty Camera

Benbu Selife Beauty Camera

Pinut Selife Beauty Camera & Photo Editor

Mood Photo Editor & Selife Beauty Camera

Rose Photo Editor & Selfie Beauty Camera

Selife Beauty Camera & Photo Editor

Fog Selife Beauty Camera

First Selife Beauty Camera & Photo Editor

Vanu Selife Beauty Camera

Sun Pro Beauty Camera

Funny Sweet Beauty Camera

Little Bee Beauty Camera

Beauty Camera & Photo Editor Pro

Grass Beauty Camera

Ele Beauty Camera

Flower Beauty Camera

Best Selfie Beauty Camera

Orange Camera

Sunny Beauty Camera 

Landy Selfie Beauty Camera

Nut Selfie Camera

Rose Photo Editor & Selfie Beauty Camera

Art Beauty Camera-2019

Elegant Beauty Cam-2019

Selfie Beauty Camera & Funny Filters

Selfie Beauty Camera Pro

Pro Selfie Beauty Camera

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What do these apps do?

All the apps mainly targeted the beauty and selfie market. According to WhiteOps, a lot of the apps lasted just 17 days before being detected and deleted by Google.

WhiteOps explained: “The White Ops Satori Threat Intelligence and Research Team recently identified and tracked a fraud operation that rendered fraudulent advertising in users’ devices. Most purport to be selfie apps that add beauty filters to users’ pictures, while at the same time showing ads out of context and making it nearly impossible to remove the apps themselves.”

If you have any of these apps, you should delete them.