Casino branding is something else

[Accardo]

Few days back, I had experienced a glitch on my Stake account it kept responding with an error message, so I tried to download the app through Google App store to see what happens next, guess what I saw? I fake Stake Casino App, that lures people into depositing money and restricting them from withdrawing their funds. But, one thing stroke my curiosity, the only thing that looked like it's stake is the logo on the app store, the entire App is totally different and doesn't appear like Stake owns it, it had, If I remember before deleting the app, a yellow background color. My question is why would players deposit to an App with such a color, without detecting from the onset that it's not Stake at all. Even the file size was around 6mb which got me wondering, this can't be stake.

Were they carried away by the Logo, and didn't care about anything else before depositing money, because I couldn't even wait to take a screenshot of what it looks like before uninstalling the app, then realized that the download can actually be done through their official website, beside the title bar, a download button up there does the job. Do you think that the logo branding alone did the magic for this fake stake app, and why is google still letting it stay there, all this while?

[Davidvictorson]

The angle I want to come at this at is a critique of app stores. They used to be a place where one trust that the apps there have been vetted and are safe. However, right now with the many stories that I have read on similar experiences, it seems they just approve any app that requests to be uploaded to their store. They really need to start doing their jobs by weeding out these scam apps, they must take responsibility for it.
This brings back the lesson that only download apps from the official websites.

[Charles-Tim]

My question is why would players deposit to an App with such a color, without detecting from the onset that it's not Stake at all. Even the file size was around 6mb which got me wondering, this can't be stake.

You think like this because you have knowledge and experience about Stake gambling site already. There are some people that do not know about Stake, if they know the fake app before knowing the original site, they may be scamming.

How did you know about the fake Stake app?

I have only preferred to use gambling sites on browsers.

[Wiwo]

Stake among other top casinos app and any other app are at owners risk, is very easy for novice to fall to their trap that is why most often time we even advice against using casinos app because is the presence of fake app using the logo and name of known casinos just to operate their scam casinos.

The best thing go do is to visit the casino's website using a browser, I use Chrome most of the time when gambling.

[Fortify]

Few days back, I had experienced a glitch on my Stake account it kept responding with an error message, so I tried to download the app through Google App store to see what happens next, guess what I saw? I fake Stake Casino App, that lures people into depositing money and restricting them from withdrawing their funds. But, one thing stroke my curiosity, the only thing that looked like it's stake is the logo on the app store, the entire App is totally different and doesn't appear like Stake owns it, it had, If I remember before deleting the app, a yellow background color. My question is why would players deposit to an App with such a color, without detecting from the onset that it's not Stake at all. Even the file size was around 6mb which got me wondering, this can't be stake.

Were they carried away by the Logo, and didn't care about anything else before depositing money, because I couldn't even wait to take a screenshot of what it looks like before uninstalling the app, then realized that the download can actually be done through their official website, beside the title bar, a download button up there does the job. Do you think that the logo branding alone did the magic for this fake stake app, and why is google still letting it stay there, all this while?

This is more a question about fraud rather than anything else - you're right that the Google play store is a bit more of a wild west compared to the more carefully maintained Apple store. It's hard to say exactly if this app was doing anything wrong, as you will often find copycats or apps using similar branding - often trying to fool users, but maybe just serving a different purpose like a poker odds calculator. They are trying to piggyback off the success of Stake and you have to wonder what other tricks they are pulling in the background, but they're not absolutely doing something criminal. Most of these app types are used to harvest credentials rather than get users to deposit directly - because the payment provider would likely block them quickly for receiving payments.

[nimogsm]

Fraudsters never sleep and always understand what's popular and how to deceive users. Phishing is a key factor that lures not only newbies but also experienced users; simple inattention can get in the way. Stake is a popular casino, so it's not surprising that they'd create a phishing app for it. It's good that there's a review system, as this will protect some players. But in my opinion, the team itself should be responsible for this, monitoring its reputation and preventing its customers from being deceived.

[Charles-Tim]

The best thing go do is to visit the casino's website using a browser, I use Chrome most of the time when gambling.

Even if anyone want to make use of a gambling site app, it is best to download the app directly on the gambling site.

I have not used Chrome to access Stake.com, but the gambling site is working good. The only problem I can have with it is the cloud flare, but here are times that I would. If I am finding it difficult to load Stake on mobile device faster, I change it to desktop and it will work, or change it to desktop mode on the mobile device.

[Accardo]

How did you know about the fake Stake app?

I have only preferred to use gambling sites on browsers.

It's on the thread description, however, it's rare to find a first timer who just goes to search on the app store for Stake casino, without having a single knowledge of what the site looks like.

[DPHOR]

What you should know is that Google are not entirely in charge or in control of that because anyone could launched their apps and added it to play store for people to download. Honestly, this app of a thing I do not really like it because if it's not from their official site I wouldn't be that fooled to go search for it on Google to download it because there are lot of people out there who would be that ready to clone most of the trusted site where people wouldn't know if the site is real or not but are just willing to use the site to gamble. This made me to stop using mobile app for gambling and also to store my funds instead, desktop wallet are more better.

[MArsland]

Stake among other top casinos app and any other app are at owners risk, is very easy for novice to fall to their trap that is why most often time we even advice against using casinos app because is the presence of fake app using the logo and name of known casinos just to operate their scam casinos.

The best thing go do is to visit the casino's website using a browser, I use Chrome most of the time when gambling.

Regardless of the purpose of casinos that now provide mobile applications, it is actually an opening to tarnish the reputation of the casino. Now fraudsters who are adept at creating applications will easily escape and enter the play store and app store by impersonating or acting on behalf of a particular platform.

That's why I never trust casino apps even if they are official, because I prefer to play on the official casino website which is their original platform from the beginning.

[Emjay24]

The angle I want to come at this at is a critique of app stores. They used to be a place where one trust that the apps there have been vetted and are safe. However, right now with the many stories that I have read on similar experiences, it seems they just approve any app that requests to be uploaded to their store. They really need to start doing their jobs by weeding out these scam apps, they must take responsibility for it.
This brings back the lesson that only download apps from the official websites.

The apps on the app store is not vetted by anyone or any entity, as long as you can pay for the store subscription, you can upload the app there and it would be available for download. If apps were vetted, then malicious apps wouldn't be accessible over the stores, but sadly, they're. Security is on the part of the users to ensure they don't end up downloading a malicious app.

OP is lucky he pays attention to details, a random gambler or an addict would just go ahead to deposit and loose their funds in the process. Scammers are very much active and the best thing is always to download apps from official sites, then if you'll be redirected to the store from the site, then the link would most accurately be leading to their own version of the app on the store.

[$crypto$]

There are already many fake apps on the Play Store and Google is not so strict in this selection, even the appstore now still has fake apps, which was previously busy about Ledger.

I am of the opinion that high reputation casinos rarely have casino apps already in the playstore, most of the time they often link on the site with their own links even though that itself is not recommended because there are always many bugs usually.

The safest way is through browsing and legitimate sites, not searching directly in the playstore.

[qwertyup23]

<..snip..>
My question is why would players deposit to an App with such a color, without detecting from the onset that it's not Stake at all. Even the file size was around 6mb which got me wondering, this can't be stake.

You'd be surprised that lots of people are getting scammed due to the simplest of reasons and the one that you encountered is one of them.

Unfortunately, a lot of people do not double-check the information, the page, and even the website before they deposit. In this case, however, I do think that most people relied on Google Apps since the platform was listed on it. There is the implied layer of security given that Google allowed it to be listed on their platform which is an admission of truthfulness on their part.

Now, it is imperative that you report that fake application so that Google would do something about it. The longer that it is listed on Google Apps, the higher the chance that some victims may fell for itl

Do you think that the logo branding alone did the magic for this fake stake app, and why is google still letting it stay there, all this while?

Oh surely! Stake is one of the most famous gambling websites and the most advertised given they acquired tons of celebrities to endorse it.

Let me ask you- surely you won't notice if a celebrity wears a fake luxury bag right? That can be applied metaphorically in this case- a logo depicts the very essence of a business. Once you're associated with that logo, it follows that you can deceive anyone with it.

[mindrust]

Fraudsters never sleep and always understand what's popular and how to deceive users. Phishing is a key factor that lures not only newbies but also experienced users; simple inattention can get in the way. Stake is a popular casino, so it's not surprising that they'd create a phishing app for it. It's good that there's a review system, as this will protect some players. But in my opinion, the team itself should be responsible for this, monitoring its reputation and preventing its customers from being deceived.

True, and they also know there are far too many clueless people on the internet waiting to get scammed by them. To the scammers, it is just a numbers game. They are brute forcing it till they hit jackpot... They don't even think what they are doing is wrong. To them, it is just another form of doing business. Some call it stupidity tax too.

[danherbias07]

I don't think the App Store is filtering it well. There are a lot of applications there, including games that are scammy. Some of them have an alarm that you didn't even set, and some will pop up advertisements even after you uninstall the application. I know this because I always fix my kids' phones, and trust me, it's damn difficult to find them.

Regarding that fake Stake app. Yeah, I think the name and the logo do the trick. Other brands do the same because one is already popular, so they try to copy it. We really have to be careful when we are installing an application from the Google Play Store. It's better if there's a link from the website of the brand.

[cryptomaniac_xxx]

Yes, same here, I have a local apps that I have been using, but one day, it suddenly went on a glitch. I can login, but I can't play the games that I usually play. So I just decided to uninstall it as that might be the solution.

Try to download again, saw this icon and I thought that it's the gambling platform that I played. Lo and behold it was a different apps to I immediately uninstalled it. So I just played now using their website as I'm afraid to download it on Google Apps.

[Findingnemo]

Be aware of fake apps, in the Play Store they are more common compared to the App Store and I don't know the listing process but Google must suck with their criteria and verification which leads to lot of fake crypto-based apps available even for long term. In future download the app from the official website where you will be redirected to the right location.

[mitchr4]

For casino apps, I always download directly from the official website. Hard to trust what's on the Play Store since there's no easy way to tell which apps are legit and which aren't. Downloading from the official site is still the safest way to go if someone wants to play through an app without worrying about security.

[Nrcewker]

Android is literally trash. Anyone can upload any app for just $25 (the Play Store fee, as far as I remember). Hence, I prefer iOS over Android. The security of iOS and the App Store is top notch. On the Play Store, people can upload apps with almost any name, which is why some people have targeted Stake’s name since it is quite popular everywhere. Who knows, maybe many people have already been scammed by the app, but no one ever reported it. Thanks to OP for pointing it out here; at least some people will be saved. Moreover, as far as I remember, gambling apps are banned on both the Play Store and the App Store, so download them only from the official website.

[Dunamisx]

Few days back, I had experienced a glitch on my Stake account it kept responding with an error message, so I tried to download the app through Google App store to see what happens next, guess what I saw? I fake Stake Casino App, that lures people into depositing money and restricting them from withdrawing their funds.

We have to be more vigilant and careful about the apps we use on Play store because some are not even the intended one we wanted to download, there are many look alike apps and we have to ensure that we download this app directly from the website, if you look at the written as well on the app store, you will discover a 3.7 rating on it and this shows a red flag on itself because, stake cannot be this low with the written given on the app store.