Apple's App Store is rife with scam apps, a new report says. [Yesterday (June 6), the Washington Post reported, based on a reporter's analysis, that "Of the 1,000 highest-selling apps in the App Store, nearly 2% are scam apps. These apps have bilked consumers out of an estimated $48 million while being sold on the App Store."

The most egregious of these were three VPN apps that delivered "scareware" ads designed to scare people into buying fake iPhone antivirus software while promising a more secure Internet connection, and a QR code reader that charges $5 per week for a feature already built into iOS The first was a QR code reader that charges $5 per week for a feature already built into iOS. There were also three questionable dating apps.

"Apple is profiting from these apps. Because Apple takes a cut of up to 30% of all revenue generated through the App Store," said the Post, which is owned by Amazon head Jeff Bezos.

Of the 18 apps the Post reported to Apple as fraudulent, 12 had been removed by the time the Post story was published.

Apple now has a Mac App Store for desktop and laptop apps, but the Post article focused on iOS apps; it analyzed the top 1,000 apps reported by Apple on April 21.

The Post's report came just before a conference where Apple is expected to announce iOS 15, macOS 12, and possibly new hardware at WWDC in 2021. It also comes two weeks after the conclusion of testimony in the civil trial of Epic Games v. Apple, in which Apple's tight control of the App Store was scrutinized. A ruling in the case is expected later this year.

Apple has argued that tight control of the App Store is necessary to protect users from malicious apps. There is no denying that this effort has been largely successful: in the 14 years since the iPhone was created, the number of iOS malware "in the wild" has barely broken double digits, in contrast to the hundreds of malicious apps discovered each year in Google's Play Store for Android.

But scams don't have to be malware. One software developer told the Post that he paid $19 for an iPhone app in the App Store that said it was a remote control for a Samsung TV, but the app turned out to be a fake.

The software developer told the Post that he assumed that apps in the App Store had to be authentic because they had to have been reviewed by Apple.

"If people don't believe in scams or worry about getting scammed, there will be a lot of damage," the economics professor told the Post. (The app was not one of the 18 apps the Post independently discovered.)

That app, called "Smart Things: Smart View App," was still in the App Store today (June 7). The app claims to "remotely control Samsung Smart TVs" as well as "cast media files from Dropbox & Google Drive" and "search and cast your favorite music tracks."

The app is free to download, but subscription fees are charged on a weekly, monthly, or yearly basis starting at $1.99. A "lifetime" subscription is available for $19.99. Listed developer TV Cast Company Ltd. also makes apps that claim to be remote controls for Roku, Chromecast, Amazon Fire Stick, and LG and Vizio (spelled "Vizo") TV sets.

Seven similar apps made by the same company are in the Google Play store for Android; the TV Cast company website does not provide any contact information or much morehttps://tvcast.in/.。

Yesterday, in another Twitter thread, Mac and iOS software developer Jeff Johnson said the App Store is a great hunting ground for scammers.

"Everything about the App Store that supposedly makes it easier for developers to reach customers and sell makes it easier to scam," Johnson wrote. In fact, it's easier for scammers than it is for honest developers. Because scammers don't buy fake ratings and reviews, write misleading descriptions, or manipulate keywords.

"We hold developers to high standards to maintain the App Store as a safe and trusted place for customers to download software, and we always take action against apps that harm users," an Apple spokesperson told the Post.

Tom's Guide has also reached out to Apple for comment and will update this post as soon as we hear back.