How Fake Retail Apps Are Targeting iPhones This Holiday Season

Before you input your credit card information into an iPhone app this holiday season, be sure it’s the real thing. Hundreds of counterfeit retail apps have been discovered in Apple’s App Store, mobile analytics company Branding Brand told The New York Times on Sunday. The apps, which were able to skate by Apple’s rigorous evaluation process, have pretended to be official apps for popular retail stores Dollar Tree and Nordstrom, among several others. Luxury fashion designers, including Christian Dior and Salvatore Ferragamo, were also spoofed, according to the Times. The timing couldn’t be worse for Apple or consumers. With Thanksgiving Day just days away, the holiday shopping season is fast approaching. Some retailers have already announced details ahead of the critically important Black Friday and Cyber Monday, and are trying to woo shoppers before they spend it all on deals available elsewhere. The fake apps are apparently an attempt by malicious developers—many of which are believed to be in China—to take advantage of growing consumer interest in making purchases from the comfort of their smartphones. Read more at Fortune.