''Beware of Fake ChatGPT Applications: Don't Fall for the Scams!''

With the success of ChatGPT, there has been a rise in fake apps impersonating the real conversational AI. These fake clones have paid subscriptions, collect personal data, and are filled with ads. It is important to be aware of these deceiving clones as they are only created to defraud people.

ChatGPT, the incredible conversational AI by OpenAI, has captured the interest of students, coders, journalists, artists, developers and people from all walks of life who are exploring the tool and discovering its fantastic uses. However, some have taken the open-source code of ChatGPT to develop new tools or an application that helps detect text generated by the AI to prevent cheating and other forms of fraud. Unfortunately, it was only a matter of time before others sought to exploit this technology for malicious purposes. Many hackers try to use it to create malicious code and develop new attacks, while others use the AI to enrich their fake profiles on dating sites or their phishing campaigns. Hackers have even decided to clone it. As a result, mobile ChatGPT apps are multiplying on the Play Store and App Store, seizing user personal data, and some of them are not hesitant to offer expensive subscriptions or flood users with ads. This is ironic given that the official web version is entirely free!

ChatGPT: Third-party applications that deceive the user

As a reminder, OpenAI's official AI is available for free via a web browser. All that is needed is to create an account. However, ChatGPT is still in beta and heavily used, so it contains numerous bugs, and sometimes it takes several tries to get the desired responses. While it is possible to download it on a computer, it is not yet available in the form of a mobile application, contrary to what some may claim. Top10VPN has investigated this issue and discovered no less than 100,000 downloads on Android devices for apps that can be accessed simply by searching "ChatGPT" on the Play Store.

Researchers have analyzed the ten best-rated fake apps on both official stores. While most of them are based on the ChatGPT-3 language model, which ChatGPT is based on, what they have found is compelling. For example, two Android apps collect users' IP addresses and share them with third parties. ChatGPT AI Writing Assistant is one such application that collects its victims' geolocation data and shares it with companies like ByteDance (owner of TikTok) and Amazon. Three other apps ask users for access to audio files, three propose paid subscriptions - ChatGPT is free... - while all contain code that directly affects the victims' privacy by accessing geolocation, camera, photos, videos, and internal storage without users' permission! Here are the culprits that need to be uninstalled immediately:ChatGPT 3: 

CjatGPT IA
AI Chat Companion
ChatGPT AI Writing Assistant
Open Chat - AI Chatbot App
Talk GPT - Talk to ChatGPT

On iOS, which is supposed to be more secure, researchers have discovered five popular ChatGPT applications that hide third-party trackers on devices running with a fingerprint. In just four minutes, one app launched over 300 server requests! Seven violated Apple's data collection rules, and eight charged access to ChatGPT for up to $15,000 per year! Apparently, the bigger the scam, the more it works. Here are the incriminated apps:

Open Chat - AI Chatbot
Wisdom AI - Your AI Assistant
Alfred - Chat with GPT 3
Write For Me GPT AI Assistant
Genie - GPT AI Assistant
Chat AI: Personal AI Assistant

In conclusion, the success of ChatGPT has unfortunately led to the appearance of numerous fraudulent applications that deceive users with subscription fees, data collection, and excessive advertising. These imitations are solely intended to scam people, and their proliferation on app stores such as Google Play and App Store is a significant issue. While the official ChatGPT is readily available for free on the web, the increasing demand for mobile apps has given hackers the opportunity to create clones that exploit users' data privacy.

Therefore, it is essential to be cautious when downloading any ChatGPT app on your mobile device and only stick to the official version available on the web. Remember to be vigilant about giving permissions to any app that asks for them, especially regarding personal data and location services. The risks of using such fraudulent applications can have far-reaching consequences, including identity theft, hacking, and financial loss.

In summary, always exercise due diligence when downloading and using mobile apps, particularly for ChatGPT, to avoid falling prey to scams and fraudulent practices.

Source : comment ca marche