Scam ChatGPT apps that cheat users and earn thousands of dollars

Experts have exposed several apps as ChatGPT-based chatbots that overindebt users and generate thousands of dollars a month, a new report showed Thursday.

According to cybersecurity company Sophos, there are several free apps available on Google Play and the Apple App Store, but because they offer little functionality and are constantly laden with ads, they entice unsuspecting users to subscribe to hundreds of dollars a year.

“Interest in AI and chatbots is arguably at an all-time high, so users are turning to the Apple App and Google Play Stores to download anything resembling ChatGPT. These types of scam apps – dubbed ‘fleeceware’ by Sophos – often bombard users with ads until they subscription,” said Sean Gallagher, chief threat researcher at Sophos.

According to the report, experts investigated five of these ChatGPT fleeceware applications, all of which claimed to be based on ChatGPT’s algorithm.

For example, the developers of Chat GBT used the name of ChatGPT to improve their ranking in Google Play or App Store.

While OpenAI offers users the basic functionality of ChatGPT for free online, these apps charge anywhere from $10 per month to $70 per year.

After a three-day free trial, the iOS version of “Chat GBT,” called Ask AI Assistant, charges $6 a week — or $312 a year — after developers earned $10,000 in March alone, according to the report.

The report also noted that another fleeceware-like app, Genie, which encourages users to sign up for a $7 weekly or $70 annual subscription, earned $1 million in the previous month.

“While some of the ChatGPT fleeceware applications included in this report have already been removed, more continue to emerge – and likely will. The best defense is education. Users must be aware that these applications exist and always remember to read the fine print , when you press “space,” Gallagher said.

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