Fake ChatGPT Scams: Thousands of Dollars Have Been Scammed; How You Can Be Safe

ChatGPT has grown exponentially since its launch in November 2022. This generative AI bot has even touched a 100 million user base in just two months and has become the fastest-growing app till now.

TikTok has taken around nine months to reach such a vast user base. However, this buzz has created a great chance for all the fraudsters. Thus, numerous fake applications like ChatGPT promise to serve the same services but end up infecting the devices with their malicious viruses and eventually stealing the data and money.   

Scammers and fraudsters typically use the latest technology to make different scams and generate a good amount of money. Therefore, the ChatGPT scam is not an exception anymore. These scammers use the official Google Play Store and App Store to avail of these applications, showing it as an official ChatGPT-like application for mobile devices. People install these applications to use these AI bots directly in mobile apps. 

OpenAI has not built any separate mobile application for ChatGPT, which is the main reason for the presence of hundreds of similar fake applications over the Google Play Store as the name of the official application.

Many such fake applications have made numerous frauds in the past, but now all the news reports cover these fake ChatGPT-like applications. However, most applications do not infect malicious data but force people to pay money. 

The Reality of These Fake ChatGPT Scam Mobile Applications 

According to a report from Sophos Institute of Cyber Security, all these fake ChatGPT-based applications are known as “Fleeceware.” These fake mobile applications don’t work over installing the malware in your devices but show constant ads over your interface until you pay for their premium subscription. 

Moreover, these fake applications also encourage the users to try out the free trial and then later extract the money by backing the subscription through recurring fees. However, they offer a free version that is almost impossible because of the intrusive advertising. The application’s main aim is to push the users to purchase the subscription. 

All the developers know that the Google Play Store and App Store have harsh policies against such fake applications, and these smart developers have found a way out. All these smart tech guys allow the application to work under the limit provided by Google and Apple’s terms of service. Thus, all these fake AI applications easily surpass the App Store and Google Play Store policy restrictions. 

If you have a ChatGPT application installed on your mobile device, you should delete it as soon as possible. 

Money Laundering Issue By These Fake ChatGPT-Like Applications 

Even in this smart digital age, people are easily getting fooled by these fraudulent websites. For instance, Tom’s Guide revealed that one of these fake applications, Ask AI Assistant, generated around $10,000 only in March 2023. This fake application was charging around $6/week or $312/year in its charging period after the free trial period. 

As per the Sensor Tower report, one of the similar fake applications, Genie, has made around $1 Million in the last month. This fleeceware-like application was charging $7/week and $7/year. All users were fooled by the mobile subscription model and paid a huge amount to access the AI generative application. 

All these fraudsters are going nowhere. Thus, all the users should now get smart enough to identify and download an official application only. First, you should determine whether your desired platform has such an application or paid scheme over any platform. However, it is not only about the money but also about your precious data. Be Safe and Be Smart!