Anyone
can
try
ChatGPT
for
free.
Yet
that
hasn’t
stopped
scammers
from
trying
to
cash
in
on
it.
A
rash
of
sketchy
apps
have
cropped
up
in
Apple’s
App
Store
and
Google
Play.
They
pose
as
Chat
GPT
apps
and
try
to
fleece
smartphone
owners
with
phony
subscriptions.
Yet
you
can
spot
them
quickly
when
you
know
what
to
look
for.
What
is
ChatGPT,
and
what
are
people
doing
with
it?
ChatGPT
is
an
AI-driven
chatbot
service
created
by
OpenAI.
It
lets
you
have
uncannily
human
conversations
with
an
AI
that’s
been
programmed
and
fed
with
information
over
several
generations
of
development.
Provide
it
with
an
instruction
or
ask
it
a
question,
and
the
AI
provides
a
detailed
response.
Unsurprisingly,
it
has
millions
of
people
clamoring
to
use
it.
All
it
takes
is
a
single
prompt,
and
the
prompts
range
far
and
wide.
People
ask
ChatGPT
to
help
them
write
cover
letters
for
job
interviews,
make
travel
recommendations,
and
explain
complex
scientific
topics
in
plain
language.
One
person
highlighted
how
they
used
ChatGPT
to
run
a
tabletop
game
of
Dungeons
&
Dragons
for
them.
(If
you’ve
ever
played,
you
know
that’s
a
complex
task
that
calls
for
a
fair
share
of
cleverness
to
keep
the
game
entertaining.)
That’s
just
a
handful
of
examples.
As
for
myself,
I’ve
been
using
ChatGPT
in
the
kitchen.
My
family
and
I
have
been
digging
into
all
kinds
of
new
recipes
thanks
to
its
AI.
Sketchy
ChatGPT
apps
in
the
App
Store
and
Google
Play
So,
where
do
the
scammers
come
in?
Scammers,
have
recently
started
posting
copycat
apps
that
look
like
they
are
powered
by
ChatGPT
but
aren’t.
What’s
more,
they
charge
people
a
fee
to
use
them—a
prime
example
of
fleeceware.
OpenAI,
the
makers
of
ChatGPT,
have
just
officially
launched
their
iOS
app
for
U.S.
iPhone
users
and
can
be
downloaded
from
the
Apple
App
Store
here.
The
official
Android
version
is
still
yet
to
be
released.
Fleeceware
mimics
a
pre-existing
service
that’s
free
or
low-cost
and
then
charges
an
excessive
fee
to
use
it.
Basically,
it’s
a
copycat.
An
expensive
one
at
that.
Fleeceware
scammers
often
lure
in
their
victims
with
“a
free
trial”
that
quickly
converts
into
a
subscription.
However,
with
fleeceware,
the
terms
of
the
subscription
are
steep.
They
might
bill
the
user
weekly,
and
at
rates
much
higher
than
the
going
rate.
The
result
is
that
the
fleeceware
app
might
cost
the
victim
a
few
bucks
before
they
can
cancel
it.
Worse
yet,
the
victim
might
forget
about
the
app
entirely
and
run
up
hundreds
of
dollars
before
they
realize
what’s
happening.
Again,
all
for
a
simple
app
that’s
free
or
practically
free
elsewhere.
What
makes
fleeceware
so
tricky
to
spot
is
that
it
can
look
legit
at
first
glance.
Plenty
of
smartphone
apps
offer
subscriptions
and
other
in-app
purchases.
In
effect,
fleeceware
hides
in
plain
sight
among
the
thousands
of
other
legitimate
apps
in
the
hopes
you’ll
download
it.
With
that,
any
app
that
charges
a
fee
to
use
ChatGPT
is
fleeceware.
ChatGPT
offers
basic
functionality
that
anyone
can
use
for
free.
There
is
one
case
where
you
might
pay
a
fee
to
use
ChatGPT.
It
has
its
own
subscription-level
offering,
ChatGPT
Plus.
With
a
subscription,
ChatGPT
responds
more
quickly
to
prompts
and
offers
access
during
peak
hours
when
free
users
might
be
shut
out.
That’s
the
one
legitimate
case
where
you
might
pay
to
use
it.
In
all,
more
and
more
people
want
to
take
ChatGPT
for
a
spin.
However,
they
might
not
realize
it’s
free.
Scammers
bank
on
that,
and
so
we’ve
seen
a
glut
of
phony
ChatGPT
apps
that
aim
to
install
fleeceware
onto
people’s
phones.
How
do
you
keep
fleeceware
and
other
bad
apps
off
your
phone?
Read
the
fine
print.
Read
the
description
of
the
app
and
see
what
the
developer
is
really
offering.
If
the
app
charges
you
to
use
ChatGPT,
it’s
fleeceware.
Anyone
can
use
ChatGPT
for
free
by
setting
up
an
account
at
its
official
website,
https://chat.openai.com.
Look
at
the
reviews.
Reviews
can
tell
you
quite
a
bit
about
an
app.
They
can
also
tell
you
the
company
that
created
it
handles
customer
feedback.
In
the
case
of
fleeceware,
you’ll
likely
see
reviews
that
complain
about
sketchy
payment
terms.
They
might
mention
three-day
trials
that
automatically
convert
to
pricey
monthly
or
weekly
subscriptions.
Moreover,
they
might
describe
how
payment
terms
have
changed
and
become
more
costly
as
a
result.
In
the
case
of
legitimate
apps,
billing
issues
can
arise
from
time
to
time,
so
see
how
the
company
handles
complaints.
Companies
in
good
standing
will
typically
provide
links
to
customer
service
where
people
can
resolve
any
issues
they
have.
Company
responses
that
are
vague,
or
a
lack
of
responses
at
all,
should
raise
a
red
flag.
Be
skeptical
about
overwhelmingly
positive
reviews.
Scammers
are
smart.
They’ll
count
on
you
to
look
at
an
overall
good
review
of
4/5
stars
or
more
and
think
that’s
good
enough.
They
know
this,
so
they’ll
pack
their
app
landing
page
with
dozens
and
dozens
of
phony
and
fawning
reviews
to
make
the
app
look
legitimate.
This
tactic
serves
another
purpose:
it
hides
the
true
reviews
written
by
actual
users,
which
might
be
negative
because
the
app
is
a
scam.
Filter
the
app’s
reviews
for
the
one-star
reviews
and
see
what
concerns
people
have.
Do
they
mention
overly
aggressive
billing
practices,
like
the
wickedly
high
prices
and
weekly
billing
cycles
mentioned
above?
That
might
be
a
sign
of
fleeceware.
Again,
see
if
the
app
developer
responded
to
the
concerns
and
note
the
quality
of
the
response.
A
legitimate
company
will
honestly
want
to
help
a
frustrated
user
and
provide
clear
next
steps
to
resolve
the
issue.
Steer
clear
of
third-party
app
stores.
Google
Play
does
its
part
to
keep
its
virtual
shelves
free
of
malware-laden
apps
with
a
thorough
submission
process,
as reported
by
Google.
It
further
keeps
things
safer
through
its
App
Defense
Alliance
that
shares
intelligence
across
a
network
of
partners,
of
which
we’re
a
proud
member.
Further,
users
also
have
the
option
of
running Play
Protect to
check
apps
for
safety
before
they’re
downloaded. Apple’s
App
Store
has
its
own
rigorous
submission
process
for
submitting
apps.
Likewise,
Apple
deletes
hundreds
of
thousands
of
malicious
apps
from
its
store
each
year.
Third-party
app
stores
might
not
have
protections
like
these
in
place.
Moreover,
some
of
them
might
be
fronts
for
illegal
activity.
Organized
cybercrime
organizations
deliberately
populate
their
third-party
stores
with
apps
that
steal
funds
or
personal
information.
Stick
with
the
official
app
stores
for
the
most
complete
protection
possible.
Cancel
unwanted
subscriptions
from
your
phone.
Many
fleeceware
apps
deliberately
make
it
tough
to
cancel
them.
You’ll
often
see
complaints
about
that
in
reviews,
“I
don’t
see
where
I
can
cancel
my
subscription!”
Deleting
the
app
from
your
phone
is
not
enough.
Your
subscription
will
remain
active
unless
you
cancel
your
payment
method.
Luckily,
your
phone
makes
it
easy
to
cancel
subscriptions
right
from
your
settings
menu.
Canceling
makes
sure
your
credit
or
debit
card
won’t
get
charged
when
the
next
billing
cycle
comes
up.
Be
wary.
Many
fleeceware
apps
have
aggressive
billing
cycles.
Sometimes
weekly.
The
safest
and
best
way
to
enjoy
ChatGPT:
Go
directly
to
the
source.
ChatGPT
is
free.
Anyone
can
use
it
by
setting
up
a
free
account
with
OpenAI
at
https://chat.openai.com.
Smartphone
apps
that
charge
you
to
use
it
are
a
scam.
How
to
download
the
official
ChatGPT
app
You
can
download
the
official
app,
currently
on
iOS
from
the
App
Store
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