So, Google Opinion Rewards was launched in India, among other countries, earlier this month, and I accrued quite a generous sum from the app, which could be used for payments on the Google Play store. I felt the need to spend the free sum that I had acquired and started checking out the most popular paid apps — you know, just for fun and because I can. Needless to say, I was feeling awesome (read: rich) but this app told me otherwise — I Am Not Rich — which also happens to be the name of the app developed by Penitax. What’s the purpose of this app? Nothing. How much does it cost? A whopping $400 (Rs. 26,000). And if this wasn’t enough, the app contains ads too.
All the app does is open up to a screen which reads ‘I am NOT rich, I am poor :(‘ alongwith a background image. To my surprise, the app has been reviewed over 300 times and carries a rating of 3.4 — which is, needless to say, fake. And if you think this is the end of the story, wait, I’ve got more for you. The developer didn’t stop at this app, but went ahead and made apps called ‘Diamond‘ and ‘Gold‘, both of which come with the same $400 price tag — and have the same awesome app interface with photos of a diamond and gold bar, respectively.
The Diamond app has been downloaded greater than 10,000 times and get 3.7 review rating from 587 people — faking insanity. I’m not sure though how the Gold app didn’t fair well — could it be because the developer failed to provide a screenshot of the ‘about the app’ box? Could be. The developer has a few other apps like ‘I am Rich’ and ‘Toilet Simulator’ which are on sale for $1 and don’t do much except just sit there on your device and serve ads after you’ve paid for them. Still wondering why these apps exist? Don’t tax your imagination, there is no simpler answer than telling you something you already know — this is a scam. Although I’m not at all surprised that these apps exist on the Android Google Play Store, which is very poorly manned — as proven by recent exploits — I’ll be surprised if anyone actually paid to buy any of these apps. Note that this article in no way encourages you to buy or try any of these apps, which might contain adware or additional malware unknown at this time. The above article may contain affiliate links which help support Guiding Tech. However, it does not affect our editorial integrity. The content remains unbiased and authentic.
