Wednesday, February 12, 2014

Replacing Flappybird with Premium Number Fruad

Much to the dismay of millions of players, the creator of the Flappybird mobile game took it down from Google Play and Apple iTunes app stores.


Now there has been many speculations as to why someone would take down a game that was earning him $50,000 a day in advertising revenue. The various reasons have been stated as:


But regardless of what the real reason is people have come in to fill your Flappybird addiction with replacements or by selling phones with it installed on e-bay (which you can not do anymore).

But you should be wary of FlappyBird replacements -According to a report by Trend Microsystems
All of the fake versions we’ve seen so far are Premium Service Abusers — apps that send messages to premium numbers, thus causing unwanted charges to victims’ phone billing statements.


As the TrendMicro article advises:
We advise Android users (especially those who are keen to download the now “extinct” Flappy Bird app) to be careful when installing apps. Cybercriminals are constantly cashing in on popular games (like Candy Crush, Angry Birds Space, Temple Run 2; Bad Piggies) to unleash mobile threats. Our past entry, Checking the Legitimacy of Android Apps, enumerates some tips on how to do avoid suspicious or malicious apps. Users may also opt to install a security app (such as Trend Micro Mobile Security) to be able to check apps even before installation.         
Always remember in cases like this TANSTAAFL so be careful there are those who are out there to take advantage of you.