On Wednesday, security firm Sophos published a report showing that Apple’s and Google’s app stores are becoming riddled with ChatGPT programs that are nothing but « fleeceware » –.
Caveat emptor: The recent AI trend has created a surge of companies vying to get in on the bottom floor of what could be a digital gold mine for them. Unfortunately, it has also attracted scammers who are also seeing the potential dollar signs of the craze.
On Wednesday, security firm Sophos published a report showing that Apple’s and Google’s app stores are becoming riddled with ChatGPT programs that are nothing but « fleeceware » – software that quietly sticks users with subscription fees. The apps claim to connect to OpenAI’s ChatGPT and many do. However, they also charge users for service when the public version of the large language model is free to use.
Some apps lure users in with a « free trial subscription » that later charges huge monthly fees when it auto-renews through the App Store or Google Play. One app Sophos tried, called « Chat GBT, » advertised itself as « free, » but after three uses, the software locked up and offered a three-day free trial attached to a $10 per month « pro » subscription to kick-in after the trial period.
Even worse, the app was rife with ads to cull even more money from the fleeceware. Review nags were frequent, a ploy to build review numbers to appear more legitimate and attract more users.
