Fake ChatGPT app creators earning thousands of dollars monthly by scamming users
Delhi : On your phone, you should immediately remove any programme that is marketed as a ChatGPT app. That app is false, but OpenAI recently disclosed that it has created an iOS app and will soon make a ChatGPT app available for Android users as well. This demonstrates that every app that was available on the app was a fake, produced by con artists with the goal of duping users. And as of late, a cybersecurity website has also asserted that the hundreds of ChatGPT applications that are now available online are defrauding people and earning thousands of dollars.
According to a recent research, certain applications overcharge users in order to deceive them into parting with their money. Chatbots are made using a technique called ChatGPT by these applications. The cybersecurity firm Sophos discovered other free applications that resemble ChatGPT but offer limited functionality and obtrusive advertisements on Google Play and the Apple App Store. Without the people's knowledge, they force them to sign up for pricey plans.
These applications are considered "fleeceware" by Sophos because they attempt to exploit people. They keep running commercials until someone caves and buys a pricey membership.
"With the current surge in interest in AI and chatbots, users are increasingly turning to the Apple App and Google Play Stores to download anything that resembles ChatGPT," said Sean Gallagher, Principal Threat Researcher at Sophos. These fake applications profit from this development by using aggressive advertising strategies to entice users to subscribe.
The investigation in the study was limited to five of these fleeceware applications that made the ChatGPT algorithm claim. For example, one application called "Chat GBT" blatantly abused the name of ChatGPT to boost its position on Google Play and the App Store. Basic ChatGPT capability is available online for free through OpenAI, however these fraudulent apps charged customers anything from $10 per month to $70 per year.
After a three-day trial period, customers of the iOS version of "Chat GBT," also known as Ask AI Assistant, were charged $6 per week, or a startling $312 annually. This cunning strategy allowed the developers to earn $10,000 in only the month of March. Another fleeceware-like programme called Genie persuaded users to pay for a $7 weekly or $70 yearly charge, generating an astonishing $1 million in the month before.
Despite the fact that some of the ChatGPT fleeceware applications described in this research have already been taken down, more are sure to follow. Awareness serves as the best kind of defence. Users need to be aware that these applications exist and use prudence by carefully reviewing the subscription terms before committing.
