A Avast identified several apps that are scamming gamers Minecraft and Roblox. The apps, which are not from the game's official developer, offer skins, themed wallpapers and other modifications within Minecraft. But, according to Avast, after a short free trial period, the apps automatically start charging users up to hundreds of dollars per month.

This type of application is known as “fleeceware,” a type of malware. If you think you’ve been scammed, simply deleting the app won’t do any good. You’ll need to cancel your subscription on Google’s Play Store. To cancel, go to the Play Store, click on the menu in the top left corner, and then on Subscriptions.

Check the list of suspicious applications

The Minecraft and Roblox-related apps identified by Avast as scams are:

Skins, Mods, Maps for Minecraft PE (which has over 1 million downloads and charges $30 per week)
Skins for Roblox (over 1 million downloads and charges $30 per week)
MasterCraft for Minecraft (over 1 million downloads and charges $30 per week)
Master for Minecraft (over 1 million downloads and charges $30 per week)
Boys and Girls Skins (over 1 million downloads and charges $30 per week)
Maps Skins and Mods for Minecraft (over 100k downloads and charges $30 per week)

Avast has notified Google about the apps. Ondrej David, the leader of Avast's malware analysis team, explained to MakeUseOf that Google believes the apps technically do not violate Play Store policies. As such, they remain available on the store. David also says that these apps pose a major risk to children, who think they are downloading a Minecraft accessory but do not understand or pay attention to the details of the service subscription, and end up falling for the scam.

In conclusion, we recommend that you always pay attention when downloading an app or game to make sure it is trustworthy.

Through which channels you reach those people, classic and out of the box. MakeUseOf.