20261022 Aufpassen beim App Download

22.10.2026 Aufpassen beim App Download

Fake WhatsApp

More than half a million WhatsApp users are using a fake version. Android offered (or had offered) two versions on its Google Play Store that bore the name and appearance of WhatsApp. In search results, the fake version even appeared before the original because its creators paid for it — and apparently no one at Google noticed.

Even though the appearance was practically identical, you could see the difference by the name of the company/developer. Instead of the correct “WhatsApp LLC,” the fake version listed “Agment Assets sallu” and appeared to originate from Brazil.

To make matters worse, users who recognized the fake app had no way to indicate this in the app reviews. Google launched its “Early Access” program some time ago. To protect developers of new apps, user reviews during the “Early Access” period are sent only to the developers and are not displayed in the Play Store. This meant that at least the creators of the fake app could see who had already exposed it...

Unfortunately, this incident is not an isolated case, as a fake version of the Chrome browser also appeared in the Google Play Store a few days ago and had been downloaded over 100,000 times. So you should take a close look at what you’re installing on your devices ...

Translated with DeepL.com (free version)