Beware of downloading fake shopping apps

Washington

FAKE news isn't the only thing that smartphone users should be cautious about these days.

As the holiday shopping season is in full swing, a slew of fake retail apps are appearing in smartphone app stores. These apps, which usually look like official shopping apps from retail brands, instal malware on the phones of unsuspecting customers once downloaded. From there, identity and credit card information can be stolen, or downloaded ransomware can remotely lock a user's phone until they pay up.