A new study says there has been a dramatic rise in the number of fraudulent mobile apps on both iOS and Android. Many of these appear to have been either generated with, or powered by, AI tools.
So far in 2025, there’s been a 300% increase in fraudulent apps on iOS, and a 600% increase on Android …
DV Fraud Lab shared its findings with us, and says the fraudulent apps target both users and advertisers.
Fake versions of popular apps like Facebook attempt to get users to log in and therefore expose their username and password. The firm says that AI is being used to create convincing-sounding language for the app descriptions which help them pass app review.
In other cases, the target is advertisers. The aim is to get the apps accepted by app stores so that they can generate fake traffic to generate ad revenue.
One of the key drivers behind this surge appears to be the use of AI. Fraud schemes are leveraging AI not just to generate fake traffic, but also to build more convincing and realistic-looking apps – making it harder for marketplace reviewers to identify and reject them at scale. These apps can also simulate legitimate user behavior, making the apps difficult to identify using traditional fraud-detection methods.
Bots are also used to generate fake reviews, and the company notes that those responsible don’t even seem to put much effort into making them seem convincing.
[In one example] a gaming app includes a detailed text description, promising users a thrilling experience once they install the game. In reality, many of the reviews found for the app appear inauthentic. For example, DV’s analysis found multiple app reviews containing repetitive language that does not match the nature of the app. This includes 5 star reviews referring to the app as “professional software” or “Contains many problems, I like.
DV Fraud Lab says that there are now specific AI-powered tools and websites which make it easier than ever for even non-coders to create fraudulent apps.
The firm argues that it’s “a critical moment” for companies like Apple and Google to review their processes for vetting the apps they allow into their respective app stores.
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