Six fake Android apps to be aware of or risk losing thousands from your bank account

MILLIONS of Android owners have been urged to be careful of six problematic apps which may contain bank-targeting malware.

Malware could be hiding in your phone, where you least expect it.

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In the first half of 2022, trade association UK Finance found over 5000 mobile devices infected with malware.

This resulted in an eyewatering £15.7million being lost to cyber crime from the pockets of Brits.

This equates to around £3,000 down the drain for the average customer affected by malware.

Malware is software with the purpose of gaining unauthorised access to data, such as personal details or banking information.

Experts at NatWest have warned that malware can often be hiding in fake apps such as QR scanners, torches, or even anti-virus applications.

NatWest has even offered its customers free cybersecurity software, Malwarebytes Premium, which can be downloaded by clicking the security tab in online banking.

Customers will then receive a coupon and a link to the Malwarebytes site.

“We are committed to helping our customers stay safe and secure and are continuously investing in new fraud prevention tools and the latest security technology,” said Stuart Skinner, head of fraud protection at the bank.

“I urge you to download Malwarebytes today, to help ensure you are doing everything possible to protect yourself against this crime.”

Android users have also been told to delete a trio of activity-tracking apps, which have been described as ‘ad junkies’.

This means they are chock full of adverts to make developers money with little-to-no pay off for users.

The three ‘problem’ apps are Lucky Step, WalkingJoy and Lucky Habit.

They are all accessible via the Google Play store and have more than 20million downloaded combined.

All three connect with the same command & control server, according to experts at software company Dr.Web.

These types of servers are typically used by cyber attackers to send directions to systems infected by malware. 

Cyber experts at Dr.Web advised Android users to not put their phones or virtual wallets at risk by downloading these apps.

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This post first appeared on Thesun.co.uk