ChatGPT, developed by the tech giant OpenAI, is one of the most popular AI-based chatbots out there. Its soaring popularity has made it an easy target for online scammers. Recently, cybersecurity firm Sophos has warned the public about fake ChatGPT apps that have been available on Google Play Store and Apple App Store. The company defines these apps as ‘fleeceware’ – they bombard users with ads at the end of their free trial period and entice them to sign up for a subscription that can cost hundreds of dollars a year.
When investigated, these fake apps had almost zero functionality and were simply serving ads to unsuspecting users. Five of these apps were found with similar names, such as “Chat GBT” which were used to deceive people and at the same time, boost their visibility in the app store rankings.
OpenAI’s ChatGPT, on the other hand, offers core features for free. But the fake apps come with a hefty subscription fee ranging from $10 per month to $70 a year. One such app called Genie even offered a weekly subscription of $7 or yearly for $70, which earned the scammers a profit of over one million dollars last month alone.
It is thus important to be careful and to check user reviews before downloading any app from the internet. Fake apps not only steal our money, but also cause data privacy issues. OpenAI’s ChatGPT should be used for its full features and users should stay away from any ‘free’ alternatives available online. The company behind OpenAI is a leading AI research organization founded in 2015 by Elon Musk and Sam Altman. The research organization is devoted to researching and developing new technologies and advancing the development of artificial intelligence. The leader behind this project is Ilya Sutskever – an AI scientist and world-renowned researcher. He was one of the first to open the boundaries of deep learning and machine learning, helping to make AI an incredible tool for improving society.
