Write App Reviews Scam: How It Works
With the advancement of technology and the plethora of online jobs, there is no surprise that a new and dangerous scam has been making its rounds recently: the Write App Reviews Scam. In this article, we will look at how it works and what you can do to detect a fake website. Let’s dive into one of the most notorious job scams out there.
The Write App Reviews Scam typically involves individuals or organizations seeking to manipulate the ratings and reviews of mobile applications for personal gain. Here’s an overview of how this scam makes victims:
Scam Detectors Most Trusted Websites in Online Security
- Guard.io (100): Surf the web safely. Clean up your browser, remove malicious extensions and check for privacy violations.
- Incogni.com (100): Delete your personal data from the internet and protect against scams and identity theft.
- ExpressVPN (100) Stay secure and anonymous online - Best VPN Out There
Step 1: Luring The Victim Into The Hook
Solicitation: Scammers may post ads or send emails claiming to pay individuals to write positive mobile app reviews. They often target freelancers, online job seekers, or people looking for quick ways to earn money.
App Download: Once a person expresses interest in participating, they are typically asked to download the app for which they will write a review. Sometimes scammers provide a list of specific apps they want reviews for, or they may ask reviewers to search for popular apps themselves.
Positive Reviews: Scammers instruct the reviewers to write positive reviews for the app, often specifying the desired content and rating. They may provide guidelines to make the reviews sound authentic or supply pre-written reviews for reviewers to copy and paste.
Fake Accounts: To bypass app store restrictions on multiple reviews from the same user, scammers may ask reviewers to create numerous counterfeit accounts using different email addresses or social media profiles. This allows them to submit multiple positive reviews for the same app.
Step 2: Payment Trick
Payment: After submitting the reviews, scammers promise to pay the reviewers. However, in many cases, the promised compensation never materializes. Alternatively, scammers may use payment methods that are difficult to trace or reverse.
Unethical Practices: The scam undermines the integrity of the app store’s review system and misleads users who rely on reviews to make informed decisions about downloading apps. It can artificially inflate the ratings and rankings of poorly designed or malicious apps, leading users to download apps that may be ineffective or even harmful.
It’s important to note that participating in such scams is unethical and may also violate the terms of service of app stores. Additionally, app stores employ various measures to detect and combat fake reviews, and those involved in fraudulent activities may face penalties or legal consequences. For now, here is the good news:
How To Detect A Fake Site
The best way to avoid all the fake sites – whether job-related or not – is to detect and block them quickly. How to do that? There are two ways you could use – see below:
1. Like magic, we have a tool that notifies you if a website is authentic. Install a browser extension called Guardio HERE (we tested it; it works and is worth every penny). It automatically blocks 100x more harmful websites than competitors and 10x more malicious downloads than any other security tool. Crazy effective.
2. If you feel a website might be suspicious, feel free to verify it using our unique Scam Detector website validator below:
How To Report a Fake Job Offer
Let your close family and online friends know about the Write App Reviews scam. Feel free to share this page if it was helpful. Meanwhile, you can report fake job offers and any other suspicious activity to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) using the portal below:
How To Protect Yourself More
If you want to be amongst the first to receive notifications about the most notorious scams every week, subscribe to our Scam Detector newsletter. You will receive periodic emails from us with insightful tips. That will include how to prevent fraud and information about the newest tools you can use to fight crime.
Meanwhile, feel free to educate yourself with some other job fraud-related articles. They are listed under this paragraph, so that you know more about online security. Last but not least, if you have any bad experiences, make sure to use the comments section below to expose other scammers.
TOP 4 MUST-WATCH FRAUD PREVENTION VIDEOS
1. Top 5 Amazon Scams in 2024 2. Top 5 PayPal Scams in 2024 3. How To Spot a Scam Email in 2024- Latest Posts by Selma Hrynchuk
-
How To Stop Robocalls
- -
Taking Control of Your Data Privacy: Protecting Yourself in 2024
- -
The Urgency of Removing Personal Information from the Internet
- All Posts
Whatsapp is the popular place I received spam for fake jobs. It appears to have originated from a legitimate looking job posting I applied to online to teach English to Japanese kids. After that I’ve received countless texts on my phone and through Whatsapp. Instagram also has scammers for everything under the sun. Telegram too. I am still wondering where to find legit remote work today, as even LinkedIn, Indeed and other have illegitimate postings! Best of luck y’all.
I use a desktop computer for email but most of the scams I get are through text on my mobile from unknown callers or landline calls from callers with a foreign accent.