Researchers say criminals are abusing Google Play’s “Early Access” program to distribute deceptive apps that promise cash, rewards, or casino winnings. The apps are promoted through social media ads (including AI celebrity deepfakes) and use a “never-ending payout” loop to keep people watching ads while no real reward is delivered.
Mirage safely runs attacks like this one against your own team, so you find out what happens before a real adversary does.
You’re scrolling TikTok and see an app that “pays cash to PayPal” just for playing, straight from Google Play Early Access. You install it. At first, fake coins fly in and your balance jumps. But when you hit the withdrawal threshold, progress crawls, ads loop nonstop, and the promised payout never arrives. Some ads even use AI celebrity deepfake videos to push Early Access “slot” apps that secretly funnel you to gambling sites, with no public reviews or ratings to warn you. If any social ad promises PayPal, crypto, or gift cards for installing an Early Access app, don’t touch it on your work phone, close the ad and stick to approved apps only.
Bitdefender reports that Google Play’s “Early Access” apps can’t be publicly rated or reviewed, reducing a key warning signal employees use to spot deceptive apps. The research found thousands of suspicious Early Access apps (including fake casino/reward apps and utilities) promoted on social…
Researchers say scammers are using Google Play’s “Early Access” listings to push deceptive Android apps that don’t show public ratings or warnings. Victims are lured by TikTok/Facebook ads promising cash rewards or free casino spins, but the apps primarily bombard users with ads and never deliver…
Researchers uncovered a long-running “SEO poisoning” operation that manipulates Bing search results to push people onto fake support and activation pages. Victims are steered through a chain of redirects to either download a malware-laced ZIP (MayaBot) or be pressured into calling a fake…
Researchers reported a real malvertising campaign where ads on Meta platforms promoted a fake TV-streaming app to Spanish-speaking users, leading them to sideload an Android app. After victims approved a chain of permissions (including Accessibility), the StreamRat trojan could remotely control the…
Researchers found a real malicious ad campaign on Meta platforms (and reused on TikTok) that pushed a fake “free TV streaming” service to Spanish-speaking users, mainly in Spain. Clicking the ad led to a tailored website that coached Android users through installing an app from outside Google Play,…
Cofense reports multiple real-world campaigns where attackers don’t hack the browser, they trick employees by copying normal browser experiences like login pop-ups, software update prompts, and “verification” checks. The goal is to get users to enter credentials, approve attacker sessions, or run…
