A sum total of 151 scam applications have been detected and deleted on Google's Play Store.  However, Android users must also ensure that none of these apps have been recently or previously installed on their devices.

According to BGR, Avast, a cybersecurity software firm, has detected a large premium SMS fraud running on the official Google Play Store. The firm has called its campaign UltimaSMS because the first scam software that was uncovered during the study was the Ultima Keyboard 3D Pro. This consisted of 151 fraudulent applications that have been downloaded over 10.5 million times in over 80 countries.

The apps pose as legit tools across a variety of app categories. The list included camera filters, custom keyboards, games, photo and video editors, QR code scanners, and spam call blockers. These what appear to be legit and non-malicious tools have one goal: to lure users to sign up and pay for premium SMS services.

Every software follows the same pattern: after the app gets installed, it checks the phone's location, International Mobile Equipment Identity (IMEI), and phone number to determine the user’s area code and what language to use. Then, it prompts the user to enter the phone number and email address in some cases. This information is then used to let the user unknowingly sign up for premium SMS services. Every month, the unknown costs charged to users are often $40 or more. Worse, it might take weeks or months for a user to become aware of these charges.

When an UltimaSMS app reaches its objective, it offers more choices for additional subscriptions or it stops working altogether. The main issue is that even if a user uninstalls the program, premium memberships will continue to deduct money from their accounts.

Avast has a list of all 151 applications that are a part of this fraud, and every Android user should take a closer look. If by any chance you have one of these applications installed, or you might have previously used them in the past, delete them at once. Also, check your bank transactions and report to your carrier if you see any unauthorized charges on your account. Moving forward, to avoid this fraudulent charges in the future, advise your carrier to cancel and stop premium SMS options on your account.

This isn't a new thing. We've seen countless times how phone users are targeted by fraudulent and suspicious applications, and it won't be the last. Malware attacks have always been a major concern. For example, over 10 million Android phones were infected with the GriftHorse malware discovered last month.