A new TikTok scam was recently found in India. And there are possibilities that the malware app scam will soon spread all over the world. There's an app called 'TikTok Pro' that was promoted in India after its government ban on the said popular video-sharing app. If you come across it, never download it.
Is TikTok a scam?
TikTok was called by the hacktivist group Anonymous as a 'Chinese malware.' It said to contain hacking software that illegally saves the personal info of its users. Due to this harm, India was the first one to ban the app in their country, along with 58 other apps-- mostly from China. However, hackers may have found a way to curb this ban to their side.
Express UK reported on Saturday, July 11, about a potentially dangerous scam that has been spreading all over in India. As explained, a TikTok wanna-be app is currently circulating on Whatsapp messengers and SMS messages. The link was referring to an app called 'TikTok Pro' that was said to copy the function of the original video-sharing app.
Since India is one of the best market of TikTok-- reaching 611 million downloads, it was obvious that hackers invested their time to create a look-alike of the app in order to suffice the needs of Indian users of the app. Some states that the app was even created for Indians to still use TikTok despite the ban.
But, this is not their real purpose.
Here's how the scam takes place
India's Maharashtra Cyberteam found the said scam on most users of the app. The TikTok scam was made in order for Indian users to feel like they can still use the app, but they don't.
The app was said to be full of malware that once downloaded on the phone, will have a direct impact on your sensitive personal info saved on your device.
"While the use and download of the official TikTok app continue to remain banned in India, cybercriminals, calling a new app TikTok Pro, are sending messages on various social media platforms to download the same from external links," said by the cybersecurity team. "Users should never download any APK files that mimic services of TikTok or any other popular apps banned by the government as these can be sources of spreading malware."
It is not just India
If you think that you're saved from any harms since its only India, think again. There are huge chances that the TikTok scam will change its target to American users or other countries.
Since a lot of government is now looking to ban the Chinese app, hackers may see this as an opportunity for them to promote pseudo-TikTok apps that may harm most of the app users.
Now, that's a warning you should think about.
