Overview
- Bitdefender’s research, published on Thursday, September 10, 2026, found thousands of Early Access listings that appear deceptive and are actively promoted through paid social ads.
- Early Access does not show star ratings or public reviews, which removes the usual community warnings that help users spot fake or harmful apps.
- Attackers use TikTok and Facebook ads that feature AI-generated celebrity deepfakes to lure users to casino-style and rewards apps that promise cash or gift-card payouts.
- Those apps often monetise by serving relentless ads, slow or block promised withdrawals, and can rack up large install counts—one GTA imitator exceeded one million downloads—then reappear as copies after removal.
- Researchers link this abuse to a wider rise in Android threats and warn the cycle of social-media promotion plus rapid reuploads could keep harming users unless Google tightens Early Access controls and ad platforms clamp down on fake creatives.