Researchers from Avast issued a warning about 47 apps they had found on Google Play Store that are disguised as games but contain adware.

Adware is a type of malicious software that inundates you with incessant pop-ups and messages, such as

“CONGRATULATIONS! YOU’VE BEEN SELECTED FOR A FREE SAMSUNG GALAXY S20! CLICK HERE!”.

These APPS are not malicious, but include adware technology that the user does not know about and is used by spammers and scammers to target people. This can result in your smartphone being overloaded with intrusive and sometimes unpleasant adverts.

Besides being annoying, adware can track the websites you visit and access your personal information,.

These apps had already been downloaded more than 15 million times when found by AVAST.

Avast has provided some tips to help you spot malicious apps:

1. Carefully check the permissions the app requests before installing it. See what the app is asking to access. If it’s asking for data it should not need, consider this a red flag
2. Read the privacy policy and the terms and conditions. Most people never do, but you can miss key points on what the APP does if you do not read these.
3. Read the user reviews and if there’s anything worrying or too many bad reviews then consider dumping the APP.
4. Install strong anti-malware on your device so that adware and other malicious apps are automatically blocked.

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