Mobile Gaming: How to Spot Misleading Ads Before Downloading the App - WHNT News 19

Little lad playing a mobile crippled against his sister

by: Better Business Bureau

Posted: Nov 13, 2022 / 04:30 PM CST

Updated: Nov 12, 2022 / 10:22 AM CST

Misleading gaming app ads person go rampant successful caller years. They whitethorn diagnostic videos that person small (or nothing) to bash with the existent gameplay. Or marque misleading claims like, “If you people 400, you tin spell to Disneyland.” Some crippled manufacturers tally these ads due to the fact that that’s what gets clicks and downloads. But the signifier has resulted successful galore frustrated gamers, who don’t recognize they were misled until aft they download the app, acceptable up an account, and commencement playing.

That caller mobile crippled whitethorn look amusive but bash your homework earlier downloading it. Until we person rules against these misleading ads, it’s up to consumers themselves to measure whether they should spot an advertisement and download the promoted game. Here’s however you tin spot fake gaming ads and debar downloading these apps.

• Check the reviews. If a crippled has a precocious fig of atrocious reviews oregon if players study that the app is thing similar the ads promoting it, deliberation doubly earlier you download it. Reviews tin beryllium fake, so check retired these tips and work carefully.
  
• Do probe online. Besides speechmaking reviews connected the app store, look up the crippled and the crippled developer online. You’ll apt find complaints if a developer has a estimation for creating games that don’t unrecorded up to their promises. You whitethorn besides travel across news articles or user reports calling retired circumstantial games that people consumers with misleading ads.
  
• Look retired for grammar mistakes. It’s improbable that you’ll find grammar oregon spelling mistakes successful an advertisement for a morganatic game. If the advertisement transcript has errors, you’re astir apt looking astatine an app created for dishonest purposes.
  
• Watch retired for ads that tease too-good-to-be-true offers. If an app makes a committedness that sounds outrageous, usage your champion judgment. You astir apt aren’t going to person tickets to Disneyland conscionable due to the fact that you reached level 15. Promises similar these are small much than bait for unsuspecting gamers.
  
• Review app permissions. This measurement is critical. Fake apps, particularly those designed to excavation your information, often inquire for further authorizations that aren’t truly necessary. Fake app developers tin past merchantability your accusation to 3rd parties without your knowledge. Read the app permissions carefully. Never click “allow” without knowing what benignant of accusation you’ll beryllium sharing with an app developer.
  
• Watch retired for impostor apps. When downloading fashionable games, double-check crippled logos and reappraisal the crippled statement page carefully earlier you download. Make definite the crippled sanction is spelled right, and if it is simply a precise fashionable app (like Candy Crush), cheque to guarantee it has millions oregon billions of downloads, not conscionable a fewer thousand. Many scammers make apps that look akin to well-known and trusted apps to effort to instrumentality consumers.
  
• Only download apps from authoritative app stores. Don’t click connected links extracurricular an app store to download an app. They could beryllium malware disguised arsenic a nexus to the game. Instead, go to authoritative app stores and look up the app there.
  
• Install an antivirus programme connected your mobile device. It’s ever a bully thought to instal up-to-date antivirus bundle connected each your devices. It tin alert you to unsafe websites and links and whitethorn adjacent observe malware and region it earlier immoderate harm happens.
  
• Report fake apps. Report fake apps to the Google Play Store or Apple Support. You tin besides study your acquisition with a fake app at BBB.org/ScamTracker to assistance physique user consciousness of this issue.

Source: BBB.org

For More Information

See BBB’s tips connected protecting yourself (and your family) from overspending successful a mobile game and larn much about mobile app scams. See the BBB Tip connected information privacy for much ways to support yourself erstwhile utilizing the internet. Review BBB Scam Tips to admit communal scam tactics earlier falling unfortunate to one.