Fake ChatGPT app creators earning thousands of dollars monthly by scamming users

Fake ChatGPT app creators earning thousands of dollars monthly by scamming users

Delhi  : You need to remove any app that is advertised as a ChatGPT app from your phone right away. However, OpenAI recently revealed that it has developed an iOS app and will soon make a ChatGPT app available to Android users as well. The aforementioned software is fake. This demonstrates that every app that was available on the app was a fake, produced by con artists with the goal of duping users.The hundreds of ChatGPT programmes that are currently available online are allegedly scamming users and generating thousands of dollars, according to a cybersecurity website.

A recent study found that certain applications overcharge customers in an effort to trick them into giving them money. These applications use a method called ChatGPT to create chatbots. On Google Play and the Apple App Store, the cybersecurity company Sophos found several free programmes that mirror ChatGPT but have fewer features and intrusive advertisements. They compel customers to sign up for expensive plans without their knowledge.

Sophos labels these programmes as “fleeceware” since they aim to take advantage of users. They keep airing ads until someone gives in and purchases an expensive subscription.

“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.

Written by Saurabh Tamhane

Saurabh Tamhane is the founder and editorial head of Sejal News Network. With over 5 years of experience in digital journalism and storytelling, he covers politics, technology, and startup culture with a sharp analytical eye. <strong>Expertise:</strong> Investigative Journalism, Startup News, Public Policy