Hadiza Umar, the Head of Corporate Affairs and External Relations at the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), issued a warning to Nigerians on Friday about a fake website that mimics the Google Play Store.
This fraudulent site, according to Umar, is distributing the Play Praetor Trojan, a new form of malware.
“Cybercriminals are using fraudulent websites designed to mimic the Google Play Store to lure victims into downloading malicious applications,” she said.
Tactics used to lure victims
She explained that various social engineering techniques, such as phishing emails, malicious adverts, and SMS messages, were being used to spread the phoney Play Store URLs.
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Umar claims that the Play Praetor Trojan, once downloaded via the fake website, gives hackers unauthorised access to the victim’s device.
“This access can lead to data theft, credential harvesting, financial fraud, remote control of the device, and further malware deployment,” she warned.
What to do
She advised people to only download programs from trusted sources, such as the official Google Play Store.
Umar further advised users to verify the identities of app developers, read reviews before installing, and regularly update their devices and apps frequently to fix bugs.