‘Fortnite’ Android App: What to Know About Fake and Dangerous Downloads

Fortnite’s popularity made its growing fanbase a target for hackers, especially with the news that an Android version of the game will be coming out soon.

Cloud security company Zscalerwrote about some of the fake Fortnite Android apps making the rounds on the internet in recent weeks. The company’s post from last week found the fake apps contained spyware to collect calls and contact info, adware that will take over the phone, crypto-mining software, and other code to download software or complete surveys in order to generate money for the fake app creator.

Apps filled with malware wasn’t the only way hackers tried to take advantage of Fortnite fans excited for the Android version of the game. Earlier in the month, individuals received an email claiming they were selected for the game’s beta test. Epic Games’ Nick Chester tweeted that the emails were not from the developer and linked to a phishing scam.

Fortnite on iOS has been a big success since its release. It was a matter of days before the battle royale game climbed to the top of the App Store charts and made $25 million in its first 30 days. It not only become the highest-grossing game on iOS, it was only behind Netflix for a period of time as the highest-grossing app in the App Store.

Epic announced last week the Android version of Fortnite will release this summer. Those wanting to enjoy the game on their non-Apple phones will need to keep waiting for a little while longer.

What’s not a scam is the $100 million Epic Games put up for future esports events for the game. This makes Fortnite the highest-paying competitive video game. It’s easy for Epic to throw out that kind of money as its game makes twice that amount in just one month.