Apple’s App Store isn’t always as reliable as the company claims. The latest example comes from RockAuto, an auto parts retailer popular with home mechanics and other DIY enthusiasts, which is unhappy that a fake app masquerading as its official app has not been removed from the App Store, despite numerous complaints to Apple.
RockAuto co-founder and chairman Jim Taylor was first alerted to the situation when customers started complaining about “annoying ads” in his app – which he said “surprised us since we didn’t “We don’t have an app.”
“We discovered that someone had placed an app in the Apple App Store using our logo and company information, but with the spelling mistakes and clumsy graphics typical of phishing schemes,” he said. he told TechCrunch.
Upon closer inspection, the fake app doesn’t seem very legitimate, but it’s easy to see how someone could be fooled. Its images on the App Store show a photo of a truck with the word “Heading” on the image, as if a model had been used in haste and the work was unfinished. Additionally, although it is titled “RockAuto” on the App Store, the app refers to itself as “RackAuto” in its description on the App Store.
Additionally, it promises customers that “your privacy is a top priority” and that “all your data is securely stored and encrypted, giving you peace of mind.” This is not likely, given the nature of this application.
The issue is not only concerning because of the app’s ability to deceive at least some of RockAuto’s customers, but also because it undermines Apple’s message about how the App Store is a reliable and secure marketplace – that’s why it demands a developer cut in app-purchase transactions. The tech giant has fought against regulations such as the EU’s Digital Markets Act (DMA), saying the laws would compromise customer security and privacy. Apple believes that customers will be at risk if they conduct business outside of its network.
App Store with unknown parts. But as these cases show, bad actors can also infiltrate their own app marketplace.
Image credits: Fake RockAuto app on the App Store
Apple has so far ignored requests from RockAuto to remove the fake app, all of which were sent through the appropriate channels, according to documentation the company shared with TechCrunch.
While looking for a solution to this problem, RockAuto came across our coverage of a similar situation with LastPass. The password manager was also the victim of a similar ploy when a fake app claiming to be LastPass was available on the App Store for weeks. LastPass ultimately had to publicly warn its customers in a blog post, because Apple had still only removed the fake app after media coverage and publication of LastPass’s own post.
Apple did not respond to requests for comment at the time. The company was also not immediately available for requests for comment on RockAuto’s complaint.
Taylor says RockAuto’s customer service manager initially contacted Apple to resolve the situation. Getting no response, Taylor got involved.
“It’s mostly one-sided since the only responses we’ve gotten from Apple are ‘you shouldn’t have sent an email, go use the online form’ and ‘download the screenshots of the App Store listing and your trademark registration,’” Taylor says. , which RockAuto had already done, its documentation indicates.
“Neither the uploaded documents nor the online forms produced a response,” Taylor noted, “not even the promised ‘case number within 24 hours’ despite multiple submissions,” he said.
Since filing the complaint on April 18, 2024, RockAuto has shared its trademark registration with Apple, emailed the company, called the number provided on Apple’s copyright infringement page, submitted a DMCA takedown request and completed the forms required by Apple.
She received nothing but automated responses and the fake app remains active at the time of publication.
techcrunch
