If you are someone concerned with data privacy and think that installing apps via Google Play Store is always safe, there is a high chance that you might become a victim of a privacy breach very soon.

Wondering how? While the Google Play Store is generally considered as a safe platform to download all the apps you need, there are times when malicious apps pass through Google’s security wall. However, there are a few things you can keep in mind to keep you safe.

Looking out for the fake Google Play Store should be your very first step.

Google Play Store is generally considered as a safe app, which is why hackers are always looking for loopholes to install fake Google Play Store on your device. However, there is a very simple way to find out whether the Play Store that you are using is fake or not.

Always remember that you can never uninstall the genuine Play Store from your device. So, if you find a Play Store with an uninstall button, it’s a fake one and you must delete it immediately.

Look for the app’s icon before installing it on your phone.

If you don’t look closely at an app’s icon before installing it on your device, it’s high time that you must start doing so. There are times when we find multiple apps with the same name and if you get into such a situation, taking a look at app’s icon may help you find the genuine app.

If icons are same, turn to the developer’s name.

In case, you find multiple apps with the same icon, look for the developer’s name. For instance, if you are looking for WhatsApp, you may find a lot of apps with the same icon, however, the one having WhatsApp Inc. as developer name, is the one you should install on your device.

If you are not sure about the developer, look for download count.

If you are looking for a popular app, always take a quick look at the download number. If the app is genuine, the download numbers will be in Millions or even Billions, however, if you see a couple of thousand downloads, you might want to avoid it.

Taking a look at reviews might help you find a genuine app.

Fake apps often have fake reviews, however, if you dig a little deeper, you might find legitimate people writing about how fake the app really is.

Now that you have found a fake app, this is what you need to do.

Thanks to some responsible people, Google removes a couple of thousand apps from its platform every year. If you find a fake app, report it immediately so Google can review and remove it from the Play Store.

There are a lot of fake apps that users are downloading every day. But if you are careful enough, you will be able to spot something that doesn’t look right. You don’t even need high technical knowledge, just pay attention to small details.