Ethical hackers are concerned that these apps might lead to data theft since they seek Aadhaar and other details.
Fake apps on Karnatka poll guarantees in Google Play Store.
About a dozen mobile applications, apparently related to the Karnataka government’s welfare schemes announced as poll guarantees, have popped up on Google Play Store. None of them are official.
However, the government — which is yet to launch any mobile app related to the five schemes — has not initiated action against any of the “fake” applications on Play Store.
Thousands of people have reportedly downloaded these fake applications. Besides downloading, the beneficiaries are also trying to apply for benefits through these apps.
There are at least four fake apps for Gruha Lakshmi Yojana, two apps each for the Shakti scheme and Yuva Nidhi, and one app each for the Gruha Jyothi and Anna Bhagya scheme on Google Play Store.
Earlier, the state government claimed that it is working with the e-Governance Department to roll out a separate mobile application for Gruha Lakshmi Yojana. The date for launching the Gruha Lakshmi Yojana has not been announced.
It may be noted that the government has not announced separate mobile applications for each guarantee. Instead, it has appealed to the beneficiaries to apply through the Seva Sindhu portal.
The application process has already begun for the Gruha Jyothi scheme. Nearly one crore people have applied to avail of 200 units of free power supply every month, according to the Chief Minister’s Office.
Ethical hackers, meanwhile, expressed concern over the possibility of fake apps engaging in data theft.
Despite repeated warnings by the government, people are still downloading the fake apps.
An application named “Gruha Jyothi app” has been downloaded by over one lakh people. The app was developed by a private entity, the Yojanainfo app.
“This app does not represent the government entity nor is not affiliated in any way. The content present in this application comes from information available in the public domain. We don’t claim rights to any content in this application. All rights are reserved to the owners of these contents,” the developers declared.
“Why is this taking to DigiLocker? After installing, why is it saying this app is for a mobile phone with a lower Android OS? I couldn’t register for the Gruha Jyothi scheme,” Ramachandra Povara, who tried to apply for the scheme through the app, wrote in the ratings and review section.
Thousands of others, too, faced similar issues.
The government, or the departments concerned, have not acted against these apps.
The cyber crime cell of the Karnataka police said that it has not received any complaints from the departments concerned.
“The departments concerned should raise the issue. The government will verify and bring down all the fake apps from the Play Store at the earliest,” Dileesh Sasi, the director of E-Governance, Electronic Delivery Citizen Services (EDCS), told South First.
Earlier, Minister for Women and Child Welfare Laxmi Hebbalkar told reporters in Belagavi that the government was yet to launch an official application for Gruha Lakshmi Yojana. “It has come to my notice that fake apps have appeared in the Play Store.”
“I have instructed higher officials to initiate action against such fake apps. People should not fall prey to bogus apps,” she urged.
Most bogus apps have been available on Play Store for the past two weeks.
Ethical hackers are worried about the chances of personal data theft since most of these apps seek Aadhaar and other ID details.
“These unauthorized apps seeking personal details such as that of Aadhaar card and bank accounts are dangerous. These are meant to collect the personal data of individuals and sell it on the dark web platform.” Ajay, an ethical hacker, told South First:
“People should not download these apps or share their personal information. It is the government’s responsibility to remove these apps immediately from the Play Store,” he added.
“The personal data of any individual is highly valuable on the dark web. This will help these apps to make huge money. People should be cautious,” he said.
