The Google Play Store is the safest place to download Android apps, but it’s not without its share of scams. There are a lot of shady apps on the service, and while Google does its best to remove them as they appear, it’s not possible to get rid of them all. A case in point is the “SpyLoan” app, which tricks users into promising low-interest loans but instead collects personal data and blackmails victims with it.
Malicious Android Lending Apps Are Collecting User Information
According to a report by McAfee, these malicious data-harvesting lending apps (dubbed “SpyLoan”) are spreading on the Google Play Store. They start with an attractive deal, offering victims loans with high approval rates, fast processing times, and low interest rates. The scammers will also mimic real financial institutions to make the app look professional.
Once you download the app, it starts collecting data. First, the app requests excessive permissions from your Android phone, such as access to the microphone, camera, call logs, SMS messages, and contacts.
If you accept these terms, the app will offer you a very good loan with minimal repayment requirements. It will also add a countdown to the offer’s expiration date to make you panic and quickly apply so you don’t miss out on the offer. If you go through with the loan process, the app will ask you to provide a lot of personal information, such as your legal identification and your bank account information.
Once the scammers have lured you in with their initial offer, they will lend you less than you asked for and at a higher interest rate than advertised. Since the scammers now have your personal information, they can harass you to demand payment, even if the payment date hasn’t come yet.
Victims of this scam reported that the scammers threatened to kill or create AI-generated pornographic images using the victim's likeness and claimed that they would send the images to their acquaintances, if they did not pay.
How to Avoid SpyLoan Attacks
If you're worried about being attacked by SpyLoan, here are some ways to avoid it:
If you keep these tips in mind, you will be able to spot SpyLoan apps before downloading them.
Many people never thought they would leave Stock Android. But after just a week of using this launcher, they now find the original interface bland and restrictive.
Microsoft's new feature makes it easy to open shared files on Android anonymously without having to log in to your account.
Losing your phone is one of the most frustrating experiences you can have. While you may not be able to get your old device back, there are ways to recover your data.
Smartphones have replaced so many other devices. They are so versatile that you probably don't need any of the categories of devices they replace.
With auto click applications. You will not have to do much when playing games, using applications or tasks available on the device.
Notifications are great for staying informed, but they can quickly get out of hand. With so many alerts coming from different apps, checking the notification center can feel like wading through a sea of information.
Many people never expected the weakest camera on their phone to become a secret weapon for creative photography.
Maybe your Google Play payment card has expired, or you want to switch to a new bank. Here's how to remove a payment method from your Google Play account.
Sometimes, if there is a problem with this tool on your Android phone, uninstalling and reinstalling Google Play Store is one of the recommended solutions.
If you're an Android user, you're probably familiar with the term APK, but did you know there's also something called XAPK? This guide explains what XAPK files are and how you can install them on your device.
Deleted contacts on Android phones will be moved to the Google Contacts trash folder, from there you can restore deleted contacts according to the instructions below.
While most of us look for the best specs at the lowest price, it's important to remember that they aren't everything.
While Android 16 doesn't introduce any major changes, it does incorporate some important new security features that you should consider right away.
If you've ever used your phone's built-in compass and felt like something was wrong, then there's probably something wrong with it.
Android 16 has lock screen widgets for you to change the lock screen as you like, making the lock screen much more useful.
You can use iCloud Keychain or iCloud Keychain to save your passwords and easily access them on your iPhone. Here's how to recover deleted passwords on your iPhone.
The Phone app on iPhone when upgraded to iOS 18 has been updated with a call history search feature. Below are instructions for searching call history on iPhone.
The Wallet app on iOS 26 lets you store physical card information alongside your digital payment card. This feature lets you quickly access your account number, expiration date, and other information without having to carry your physical card.
You may have had an iPhone for years, but pairing it with a Mac completely changes the way you use it. There's a whole layer of functionality that only comes to light when the two devices work together.
The yellow battery color displayed on the iPhone screen is actually due to a new feature called Low Power Mode by Apple. This feature will not be automatically activated without the user's permission. If you accidentally allowed the mode to be activated while using it and now do not know how to turn off the yellow iPhone battery icon, please refer to the following instructions.
The Notes app on iOS 26 gets an update that lets you create 3D graphs from functions you enter without needing another app or doing too much work.
The Messages app on iPhone has a lot of fun and cool features, like the invisible ink effect that will hide your messages.
Many people never thought they would leave Stock Android. But after just a week of using this launcher, they now find the original interface bland and restrictive.
iOS 26 has added an option to enlarge the lock screen clock so that users can adjust it if needed. Below are instructions to enlarge the iPhone lock screen clock.
The Apple account web interface in your browser lets you view your personal information, change settings, manage subscriptions, and more. But sometimes you can't sign in for a variety of reasons.
When Find My becomes inaccurate or unreliable, apply a few tweaks to make it more accurate when it's needed most.
Microsoft's new feature makes it easy to open shared files on Android anonymously without having to log in to your account.
Losing your phone is one of the most frustrating experiences you can have. While you may not be able to get your old device back, there are ways to recover your data.
Smartphones have replaced so many other devices. They are so versatile that you probably don't need any of the categories of devices they replace.
With auto click applications. You will not have to do much when playing games, using applications or tasks available on the device.
