How to Identify a Fake VPN App

VPNs are getting more popular across the general population. But, with popularity comes many replicas or, in other words, fake. You might have heard of makeup products, clothes, shoes, or electronic devices having grade-A doubles. We warn you about what you should know and check before downloading or purchasing VPN apps.

What is a Fake VPN?

A false VPN is any virtual private network with the primary goal of stealing data or tracking users without their knowledge or agreement. Free VPNs are now relatively easy to follow, but once upon a time, it wasn’t. This was because people did not even know that fake VPNs existed. But once it was found out, tracking was more accessible. There are ways to find out if a VPN is fake and why it is dangerous for your devices.

The Dangers of a Fake VPN

You might buy different products and fake versions to save money, but sometimes those are much more harmful and have long-lasting effects. Listed below are some of the dangers of using a fake VPN.

Compromising Data

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You hide from your Internet Service Provider (ISP) when using a VPN. You reside in your VPN service with the hope of protecting your data from getting leaked outside. But what if your VPN service is fake and does the same thing? Your data is vulnerable when it goes through a VPN tunnel. But they can easily collect your data and sell it to third parties, such as advertising agencies. Some will send your visitors adverts to profit from sales commissions. So, it is fruitless to use a VPN where your security is easily compromised and very dangerous.

Stealing Bandwidth

A fake VPN has been known to construct a botnet using your connected devices. This botnet is a collection of Internet-connected devices that have been infected and controlled by a third party without the owners’ knowledge. Your Internet bandwidth can be sold to be utilized as a dedicated server for funneling Internet traffic once you’ve joined the botnet. Now you might wonder what a botnet is. Here’s a little insight into a botnet. Bot-net is the abbreviation for robot network. A botnet is a group of infected computers that work together to spread malware controlled by a single attacker. Before you know it, your bandwidth will be stolen, and there’s nothing you can do to retrieve it.

Injecting Virus

The general audience considers VPNs to be safer compared to anti-viruses. But what if the VPN is the virus? All the data and hard work you have done will be gone in a zit. Fake VPNs usually send emails or inject some virus into your devices. Your fake VPN provider can use your data to target you with adverts and spam emails, hijack your online accounts, steal your banking information, and even lock your gadgets in exchange for ransomware once introduced into your device. Now you definitely would not want that.

No encryption like those VPNs is fake; they live by their name and hence provide fake promises to encrypt your data. Nothing is encrypted. You are exposed to the world with a VPN like that. They do not encrypt any of your data, accessible by anyone who comes closer to it.

So, a fake VPN risks your data and personal information and sells it to third parties for money.

How To Identify If A VPN Is Fake

There are some ways to identify whether your VPN is rigged or not. Some of them are listed below.

• No dedicated mobile app– If your VPN is legit, it will have a mobile application accessible on both App Store and Play Store. If there are no mobile apps, you might want to consider your decision and get a good VPN as soon as you can.

• No dedicated live customer service- Most fake VPNs do not have any live chat available for their clients to contact them. If you cannot reach out, you cannot clarify your issues. Hence you will know it’s not a legit VPN.

• No social media profile- Legitimate VPNs always have a page or group on multiple social media platforms to ensure their customers are aware of their services. But if the VPN is fake, they would not bother to go through such a hassle.

There are a few small things to go through if you want a good VPN that is very much real and legit.
• For instance, check if their VPN app is available on Windows, iOS, macOS, and Android platforms.
• You can also find out about their social media accounts and contact them on various platforms.
• Check their privacy policy and affirm yourself if they have a no-log policy.
• Check if they lead you to links that were accessed without your permission. If they do, that’s a fake VPN.

Following these few steps and keeping the cautions in mind, you will be safe from fraud and fake VPNs everywhere. After all, compromising your data to save a few bucks does not seem convenient.