How to spot fake apps, junk apps, scam apps, and abandoned apps

There have been some stories circulating recently about fake apps in the App Store. People seem to have the reaction, "OMG!! How can this be true???" But any legitimate developer would have the reaction, "OMG!! People are just now finding out about this???"

Do not assume that Apple guarantees that the app isn't a scam and is always going to work. There are millions of apps, Apple can't find all the scams. Apple only checks for obvious scams and makes sure the app runs. And Apple only does that when the developer submits it. There is no guarantee the app will work at any time after that.

Do a little research before giving your personal data to hackers. Protect yourself before losing your data in abandoned apps. Here are some suggestions to follow before downloading any app from the App Store.

1. Look for the existence of the developer outside the App Store. Do a Google search. Is there a web site? Does it even exist? Does it have content? Or is it a "template" site or an "under construction site"? Better not download!
2. Who is the developer - specifically? Is it a company name or a person's name? Ignore the "Copyright" field. That's fake. Look at the "Seller" field. A company name will have been verified by Apple to actually exist as a company. It may be a company that makes worthless, junk, or scam apps, but it is a real company. But if it is just a person's name, then literally anything goes. Do not even assume that person actually exists. Malicious apps are always registered under these personal accounts - always. Apps sold under business names may be junk or abandoned, but they are probably not malicious.
3. Look for an "App Support" link on the App Store web site. You will only find this on the Apple web site: https://apps.apple.com. Do a google search for the app and click on the app.apple.com hit. You won't find the App Support link in the actual app on your iPhone or iPad.
4. Do the same with the "Privacy Policy" link. At least this one is in the App Store app.
5. If either of the "App Support" or "Privacy Policy" links are fake or dead, don't download!
6. Double-check those "App Support" or "Privacy Policy" link even if they work or don't appear to be fake. Are they just templates or are they real? Does the privacy policy even mention the app or the developer? Compare it to any real privacy policy you find on the web.
7. Continue researching the app on other sites outside of the App Store itself. Often, these independent sites will have more metadata about the app than you can find inside the App Store. The most important part here is the date of the last update. If the app hasn't been updated in 5 or 6 years, don't download it!
8. App rating - fake. Well, not always. If the app rating is junk, then it is probably real. Don't download a junk app. If the app rating is 5 stars, it is always fake. Any real, legitimate app will have a good number of 1-star reviews from clueless people. My apps reviews were virtually perfect and I only had 4.6 or 4.7.
9. App reviews - again, fake. Again, not always. If the recent reviews are all trashing the app, they are probably real. If the app reviews openly discuss scams or illegal practices from the developer, don't download! If the reviews are generally good, with a few 1 stars, then they are real.
10. Look for the new Apple Privacy Dashboard. Is that guaranteed and trustworthy? Of course not! But if the developer as actually entered something, it means that the app has recently been updated and will probably run on the latest version of iOS, and maybe even next year's version. It means the developer actually cares, which is a good thing. Maybe the developer only cares about scamming people, but that's still caring!
11. Look at the developer's other apps. Do they look like scams? If so, they are. Are there more than 3? From a single person? Impossible! That's fake and/or a scam. Are there 50! Total scam!
12. Check the price of the app. How is the developer making money from this app? There is no easy answer here. There can be fraudulent and legitimate explanations for every price point. Use common sense. A professional-sounding app with a professional-looking web site from a professional-sounding developer should probably be pretty expensive, either via an up-front price or hefty subscription fee. But sometimes scams are very expensive too. Free apps often make money from your personal data. Perhaps that is unethical, but it is likely legitimate, not a scam, and probably well-supported. There aren't many good explanations for 99 cent apps. Stay away from those.
13. Still not sure? Use that app support link to e-mail the developer and ask a question about the app. You should get a response within a couple of days. If you don't, best to move along.

The App Store is convenient, but it isn't guaranteed or risk free. Anyone can identify scams in just a few minutes. It is much easier to prevent problems than try to clean them up afterwards.