Remember Virus Shield, the anti-virus app which promised one-click virus protection for your phone but in fact did nothing but just change its icon on tapping and reached the "Top Paid" apps spot in a week. Well, Google has acknowledged that they are aware of the scam and that all affected will be getting a refund as well as $5 Play Store credit which they can use to buy books, movies, music or apps.
Atleast 30,000 people downloaded the bogus app making the developer Deviant Solutions tens-of-thousands of dollars for an app that did nothing. If you purchased the $3.99 app then you would be receiving an email from Google shortly just like the one below.
Hello,
We're reaching out to you because you recently purchased the “Virus Shield” app on Google Play.
This app made the false claim that it provided one-click virus protection; in reality, it did not.
Google Play's policies strictly prohibit false claims like these, and in light of this, we're refunding you for your "Virus Shield" purchase. You should see funds returned to your account within the next 14 days.
Additionally we'd like to offer you $5 promotional credit1, which can be used to purchase digital content on Google Play such as apps, games, books, music and movies.
Your credit redemption code is XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX. Click or tap here to redeem. For help redeeming, please visit our Help Center.
We're sorry for any inconvenience this may have caused; rest assured that we're always working to make Google Play better for our users.
Thank you,
Google Play Support
