Scam iPhone apps are still active in the official Apple App Store. For the past few years, the tech giant manufacturer has been criticized by cybersecurity researchers because of the fraudulent applications that remain on its app platform.

Scam iPhone Apps Remain on Apple App Store—Putting 7 Million Users At Risk! Install These Applications Now
(Photo : Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)
The new iPhone 5S with fingerprint technology is displayed during an Apple product announcement at the Apple campus on September 10, 2013 in Cupertino, California. 

If you are an iOS user, then you will know how strict Apple is when it comes to third-party apps. The iPhone maker always explained that installing applications from third-party companies may put sensitive data at risk. 

However, it seems like the Apple App Store is also not a safe place. VPN Check, a cybersecurity platform, explained why iPhone users are still at risk. 

Scam iPhone Apps Remain on Apple App Store

According to Phone Arena's latest report, Apple's efforts to prevent scam apps from entering its official App Store platform are still not enough. 

Scam iPhone Apps Remain on Apple App Store—Putting 7 Million Users At Risk! Install These Applications Now
(Photo : Sean Gallup/Getty Images)
A customer tries out the new Apple iPhone 5C smartphone at the Berlin Apple Store on the first day of sales on September 20, 2013 in Berlin, Germany. 

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In March 2021, around 133 fraudulent applications were discovered by Avast. Now, VPN Check identified that 84 of them are still active on the Apple App Store. 

"We found that over a year later, more than 60% of these reported scam apps are still active on the AppStore," said VPN Check Founder Dr. Frederik Lipfert via his official blog post

He added that their latest calculations showed that 60% of the previously reported scammed apps are still being installed by iOS users via the official Apple App Store. 

The cybersecurity expert also claimed that these malicious applications are stealing around $100 million from users each year.  

Millions of iPhone Users At Risk 

As of writing, VPN Check claimed that the active scam iOS apps are still receiving millions of downloads. The cybersecurity firm added that around seven million iPhone users are at risk of getting their data stolen. 

But, security researchers said that these fraudulent applications are quite easy to identify. Most of them are for entertainment, such as virtual musical tools. 

On the other hand, some of them also work as virtual flashlights or calculators. Now, here are some of the malicious apps that you need to remove from your iOS device. 

  • Photo To Sketch - Drawing book 
  • Mood Balance: Self Care Tracker
  • VOCHI Video Effects Editor
  • FLMX - Video Editor 
  • Stickerfy: Sticker Maker 
  • Pixomatic - Background eraser 
  • Presets for Lightroom - Vidl 
  • Jigsaw Puzzle - Brain Games 
  • SpeedPro Slow speed video edit 
  • Lift: Story Maker 
  • Dazzle - Insta stories editor 
  • Baby Sticker- Track Milestones 
  • Life Palmistry - AI Palm & Tag 
  • Photoly Remove Object & Editor 
  • Facetory: Face Yoga & Exercise 

Previously, the Apple Lockdown Mode was launched. 

Meanwhile, Google reviews were allegedly being used by scammers to extort money. 

For more news updates about scam iPhone apps and other security threats, always keep your tabs open here at TechTimes.  

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Written by: Griffin Davis

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