Security News > 2020 > January > Fleeceware is back in Google Play – massive fees for not much at all
The treachery lies in the payment model - the fleeceware we identified back in September 2019 didn't charge a fee for the app, but instead sold you a subscription to go along with the app.
The app's free, don't forget; it's the subscription that you're being charged for, and Google permits app developers to ask that sort of money.
Because the apps themselves aren't engaging in any kind of traditionally malicious activity, they skirt the rules that would otherwise make it easy for Google to justify removing them from the Play Market.
Jagadeesh has revisited the Play Store and found that new fleeceware apps seem to appear whenever old ones get removed, so there are still plenty of "Moneytrap apps" waiting to catch out trusting or unsuspecting users.
For a list of apps, sample screenshots, the charges they're asking, and some good advice on how not to ge tricked, please read Jagadeesh's article Fleeceware apps persist on the Play Store.