Beware! Google Alerts Users of ‘Fake Bard’ App Malware Scam

Google is no stranger to malware, with the Android issue affecting millions of users. But now the company is entering a new era of malware trouble with its latest AI chatbot, Bard. Most people know that Bard AI is not an app and cannot be downloaded. In fact, you don’t even have to pay to use Bard, as Google has mentioned several times.

But some people don’t know these things about Bard and have been tricked into downloading fake Bard apps from the Play Store, which Google says is just installing malware on devices.

Google is clearly not happy with these tactics and has warned these scammers of legal consequences. The company wants them to stop sending ads or messages to Bard asking users to download its supposedly malicious apps. It says several groups have used Facebook pages to promote users to download the Bard app to get the latest updates and features.

Unfortunately, like all other scams, there is a group who fall for such ads and accidentally download apps that are malware in disguise. Google’s position on this practice seems ambitious, given that the lawsuit does not apply if actions are taken outside the jurisdiction of a country, in this case the United States.

The company has a difficult task in getting rid of millions of malicious apps from the Play Store, and it’s likely that Android’s popularity and access to millions of apps makes it an easy and popular target. Bard is a critical part of Google’s present and future in the AI world, so we can understand how seriously the company is trying to tackle the imposter problem.

Earlier this week, Kaspersky shed a worrying light on Google’s malware problem, claiming that more than 600 million malicious app downloads will be recorded on the Play Store in 2023. Bard is expected to compete with ChatGPT and other AI chatbots in the coming years, and the last thing Google wants is a malicious attempt to abuse Bard and cheat users.