MUMBAI: Digital security and privacy products company Avast has reported three apps to Apple’s App Store, which overcharge users, do not provide the services they promote and appear to be “fleeceware".
The apps are available as Beetle VPN, Buckler VPN, and Hat VPN Pro. Fleeceware apps take advantage of the fact that app makers can continue to charge users even after they uninstall the app from their devices.
The term refers to mobile apps that abuse legal loopholes in the app trial mechanism on Android -- and now iOS. The apps, cited above, have been downloaded over 420K, 271K, and 96K times, respectively, between April 2019 and May 2020, according to data from Sensor Tower, a mobile apps marketing intelligence and insights company.