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Fake Fortnite Android Apps Scamming Users via YouTube: McAfee

Fake Fortnite Android Apps Scamming Users via YouTube: McAfee

By Rishi Alwani | Updated: 29 June 2018 13:59 IST

Highlights

Fortnite is out on PS4, Xbox One, PC, and iOS
Epic Games has stated it would be out on Android this summer
Hackers have taken advantage of its delay with fake apps

Despite Epic Games announcing that Fortnite for Android won't be out till later this year, that hasn't stopped opportunistic hackers and malware makers from taking advantage of Android smartphone users. Searching for "How to install Fortnite on Android" or "Download Fortnite for Android" on YouTube or Google throws up a host of videos that claim to show how Fortnite can be installed on Android. Instead users are instructed to download a fake app. According to anti-virus firm McAfee, these fake Fortnite apps seem convincing enough to pass off as the real deal, complete with the game's music and a login screen similar to Fortnite.

This isn't all. Users are asked to provide mobile verification. On confirmation they're redirected to a site to check if they're a bot or not, necessitating a download of yet another app accompanied with a link that has unlock instructions, only this prompts a download of one app after another.

"Once users hit tap to install, however, they’re only guided back to Google Play. Users can keep installing app after app and will never actually get to the actual Fortnite game. Essentially, this means the cybercriminals are aiming to make money off of increased app downloads. This incident reminds us that online gaming has its risks, and Fortnite is no exception," reads a statement from the company.

Previously, Epic Games confirmed that battle royale sensation Fortnite will hit Android this summer. The news comes via a post on the company's site that spoke of the number of features the Fortnite team is working on for mobile. In addition to a Fortnite Android release date for summer, Epic Games plans to reduce the game's install size, performance on smartphones, and the addition of stat tracking to name a few. Voice chat and a customisable HUD is also in the works. Information regarding the mobile version of Fortnite comes after the game's tie-in with Avengers: Infinity War that saw Thanos playable in the game.

"We are targeting this summer for the release. We know many of you are excited for this release, and we promise that when we have more information to share, you’ll hear it from us first," said Epic Games of the game coming to Android. Further on, it shed light on plans to reduce Fortnite download and installation size as well as allowing for background downloads.

"We are aware of the large installation size of Fortnite on mobile and are working to reduce that size. Over the next few updates we’ll be compressing the size down while maintaining performance. We’ll be making overall patch sizes smaller and adding the ability to download the content in the background," the post continues.

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