Beware of ChatGPT scam apps on the Mac App Store. ChatGPT bogus apps on the Mac App Store are on the rise. Fraudsters are exploiting the Mac App Store with bogus and non-functional ChatGPT apps. In some cases, it is outright fraud.
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In theory, Apple’s Mac App Store is a digital storefront that reviews apps before they’re provided to users for download. While Apple’s policies and controls catch most scams, it seems the large influx of AI chat apps has brought out a few dishonest developers who have gotten away with it, at least for now.
A weekend report by Alex Kleber on the “Dark Side of the Mac App Store” reveals the results of a month-long investigation into a group of apps that claim to provide ChatGPT-style services.
The apps, searchable using keywords like “OpenAI” and “ChatGPT,” use titles and logos that are identical or very similar to OpenAI, the company behind ChatGPT. By reusing OpenAI colors, icons and logos, these apps give the impression of being legitimate, but are not officially linked to OpenAI at all.
“Most of these apps are nothing more than cheap imitations or outright scams that don’t deliver on their promises,” Kleber writes. “These scams not only mislead users, but also harm the reputation of legitimate developers and hinder the growth of the app ecosystem on the macOS platform.” With the use of misleading marketing tricks and cleverly used keywords, such apps have become the most downloaded on Mac App Store.
Kleber insists Apple should take a tougher stance on apps, which often pass the review process without a problem. In some cases, the apps are extremely similar to each other, with only minor tweaks to be different enough, so they aren’t actual clones
Apps from Pixelsbay and ParallelWorld developer accounts are registered from the same address in Pakistan and share 99% of the same code. Furthermore, the developers have even used the same style of paywall for both apps and without a close button on display.
“This behavior of not providing a close button to paywalls can be considered a scam,” says Kleber. “It puts users in a frustrating situation where they are forced to sign in or force-sign out of the application to regain control of their device.”
Kleber believes the apps are part of a larger operation to capitalize on the popularity of AI chatbot apps. “It is alarming to think that such sophisticated and well-coordinated scams could be perpetuated on the macOS App Store with little or no oversight,” she added.
Apps are also believed to use particular tactics to garner positive reviews, which helps propel titles into the App Store. In the case of ParallelWorld, the app received more than 175 reviews in a 24-hour period, including 63 from the US Mac App Store.
In this case, the app required users to rate the app immediately after signing up for the application, and to do so every time the user makes an OpenAI request, without giving the user enough time to actually use the app. ‘app. This technique is effectively prohibited in the app review guidelines and SKStoreReview documentation.
Apple has a responsibility to maintain high app standards and a level playing field for all developers, but scam apps continue to be a constant problem for the company, with many titles managing to escape scrutiny while other developers are blocked for much less.
Either way, Apple is working to prevent fraudulent apps from escaping scrutiny. In 2022, the company said its security mechanisms stopped nearly $1.5 billion in potential fraud and kept 1.6 million “scam apps” away from users.