1. Home
  2. Computing
  3. News

This ChatGPT scam duped thousands of people into downloading fake app

By

It appears that scammers have attempted to profit from the popularity of the ChatGPT AI text generator, which has been an online sensation for several weeks.

The completely free browser-based platform developed by OpenAI has been the talk of the internet space and works by giving you a detailed, human-like response to a simple command or query. It has even been considered a potential successor to the Google search engine.

Image used with permission by copyright holder

However, nefarious players have already taken to mobile app stores to try and market versions of the platform for smartphones, according to Gizmodo.

Recommended Videos

In particular, an app called “ChatGPT Chat GPT AI With GPT-3″ has surfaced on the Apple App store with an exorbitant price of $8 for a weekly subscription after a three-day trial. You also have the option to pay a $50 monthly subscription, which the publication notes is even more expensive than the weekly cost.

Despite its cost and the app not being affiliated with OpenAI, the copycat platform had proved popular. It ranks fifth in terms of downloads in the Apple App Store’s productivity category, ahead of Google Docs. The app was also has a 4.6 rating out of 5, with over 13,000 ratings, and uses the original ChatGPT logo to boost its credibility. TechCrunch also reported about a fake text generator that appeared on Google’s Play Store, but it was taken down before it could reach 100,000 downloads.

The ChatGPT copycat has since been removed from the Apple App Store since it gained media attention; however, many have been left wondering how it even passed the company’s app review process in the first place. According to MacRumors, the app was launched three weeks ago, and had plenty of time to garner this many ratings and comments on its quality.

Many users reported several of the same complaints that are seen about the actual browser version of ChatGPT, including that the chatbot fills in not-quite-correct information as an answer to a query. Additionally, users have challenged the price, the lack of a support team, and that ot sends out too many notifications.

Most importantly, though, the real version of ChatGPT available on the web is completely free to use, so there’s no reason whatsoever to pay for a separate subscription at the current moment.

There has been a lot of excitement surrounding ChatGPT, which has been occasionally “at capacity,” forcing people to wait to gain access. It could be that people have decided to pay for the app as a way of trying to cut the line.

While the saga of this particular ChatGPT mobile app might be over, there is word that there will be an official OpenAI iOS app sometime in the future. Venture capitalist and podcaster Jason Calacanis recently shared on a LinkedIn post that he has gotten access to a beta version of the app, but did not share further details.

For now, the easiest way to access ChatGPT on your smartphone is to load the AI text generator on your mobile browser.

Editors' Recommendations

Topics
Fionna Agomuoh
Computing Writer
Fionna Agomuoh is a technology journalist with over a decade of experience writing about various consumer electronics topics…
We may have just learned how Apple will compete with ChatGPT

As we approach Apple’s Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) in June, the rumor mill has been abuzz with claims over Apple’s future artificial intelligence (AI) plans. Well, there have just been a couple of major developments that shed some light on what Apple could eventually reveal to the world, and you might be surprised at what Apple is apparently working on.

According to Bloomberg, Apple is in talks with Google to infuse its Gemini generative AI tool into Apple’s systems and has also considered enlisting ChatGPT’s help instead. The move with Google has the potential to completely change how the Mac, iPhone, and other Apple devices work on a day-to-day basis, but it could come under severe regulatory scrutiny.

Read more
Copilot: how to use Microsoft’s own version of ChatGPT

ChatGPT isn’t the only AI chatbot in town. One direct competitor is Microsoft’s Copilot (formerly Bing Chat), and if you’ve never used it before, you should definitely give it a try. As part of a greater suite of Microsoft tools, Copilot can be integrated into your smartphone, tablet, and desktop experience, thanks to a Copilot sidebar in Microsoft Edge. 

Like any good AI chatbot, Copilot’s abilities are constantly evolving, so you can always expect something new from this generative learning professional. Today though, we’re giving a crash course on where to find Copilot, how to download it, and how you can use the amazing bot. 
How to get Microsoft Copilot
Microsoft Copilot comes to Bing and Edge. Microsoft

Read more
GPTZero: how to use the ChatGPT detection tool

In terms of world-changing technologies, ChatGPT has truly made a massive impact on the way people think about writing and coding in the short time that it's been available. Being able to plug in a prompt and get out a stream of almost good enough text is a tempting proposition for many people who aren't confident in their writing skills or are looking to save time. However, this ability has come with a significant downside, particularly in education, where students are tempted to use ChatGPT for their own papers or exams. That prevents them from learning as much as they could, which has given teachers a whole new headache when it comes to detecting AI use.

Teachers and other users are now looking for ways to detect the use of ChatGPT in students' work, and many are turning to tools like GPTZero, a ChatGPT detection tool built by Princeton University student Edward Tian. The software is available to everyone, so if you want to try it out and see the chances that a particular piece of text was written using ChatGPT, here's how you can do that.
What is GPTZero?

Read more