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Andy Walker \/ Android Authority<\/p>\n
TL;DR<\/p>\n
Google Play is supposed to be the safer place to get Android apps<\/a>, but not every app on the store deserves your trust, especially if you\u2019re seeking them out for potentially nefarious purposes. A newly detailed scam shows how far a dubious app can go before it\u2019s stopped, with 28 apps on Google Play racking up more than 7.3 million downloads by promising access to other people\u2019s call logs, SMS records, and WhatsApp call history.<\/p>\n Have you encountered a scam ad on Android?<\/p>\n 1108 votes<\/p>\n Yes, I encounter them regularly.<\/p>\n 40%<\/p>\n Yes, but only one or two.<\/p>\n 12%<\/p>\n I\u2019ve seen them on others\u2019 phones.<\/p>\n 9%<\/p>\n No, I run a systemwide ad-blocking solution.<\/p>\n 26%<\/p>\n I\u2019m not entirely sure.<\/p>\n 11%<\/p>\n It’s complicated (elaborate in the comments).<\/p>\n 2%<\/p>\n ESET researchers detailed the scam in a WeLiveSecurity report<\/a>, where they collectively refer to the apps as \u201cCallPhantom.\u201d The apps differed in appearance, but the trick was the same: you entered a phone number, paid to unlock the supposed communication records, and received fake data in return.<\/p>\n Don\u2019t want to miss the best from Android Authority?<\/strong><\/p>\n The researchers found that some apps generated random phone numbers and paired them with names and call details already embedded in the code. Others asked users for an email address where the \u2018retrieved\u2019 history would supposedly be sent. Either way, ESET says the apps didn\u2019t request intrusive permissions or have any real ability to access the requested data.<\/p>\n Let\u2019s not ignore the elephant in the room here. Nobody deserves to be scammed, but this is an unusual case where the bait itself was pretty dubious. The apps weren\u2019t promising cheaper wallpapers or a better weather widget \u2014 they claimed to offer access to another person\u2019s private communication history.<\/p>\n The payment side also made things messier. Some apps used Google Play\u2019s official billing system, potentially allowing some victims to claim refunds. But ESET says others pushed users toward third-party payment apps or direct card checkout forms inside the app. In one case, when the users tried to leave the app, it showed deceptive alerts styled like new emails that claimed the call history results had arrived, then sent users back to a subscription screen.<\/p>\n ESET reported the 28 apps to Google on December 16, and all of them had been removed from Google Play by the time the report was published. While sideloading might get more flak when it comes to scam protection, we\u2019re reminded that the Play Store can still give bad apps a huge audience<\/a> once they slip through.<\/p>\n![\"google](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/google_preferred_source_badge_light@2x.png\"\/ "\\"google"){kind=icon}
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