iPhone game for kids secretly turns into casino

The game called Jungle Run, now apparently pulled by Apple, for kids aged 4 and up, but, if you use a VPN or access the app using an IP from Turkey, it unlocks an online casino, reports UberGizmo.

San Francisco: App developer Kosta Eleftheriou has found that an iPhone app posed as a children’s game secretly turned into a cryptocurrency-funded casino in Turkey.

The game called Jungle Run, now apparently pulled by Apple, for kids aged 4 and up, but, if you use a VPN or access the app using an IP from Turkey, it unlocks an online casino, reports UberGizmo.

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“This @AppStore app pretends to be a silly platformer game for children 4+, but if I set my VPN to Turkey and relaunch it becomes an online casino that doesn’t even use Apple’s IAP,” Eleftheriou tweeted.

The developer points out since Apple advertises the App Store as a place that users can trust, people wouldn’t necessarily think twice about downloading this app.

Eleftheriou claims that the app remained in the App Store for months and even had its updates approved by Apple.

Earlier in 2021, Eleftheriou pointed out the number of scam apps on the App Store affecting his business. His claims indicated that scam apps could steal his ideas and promote themselves using his screenshots and videos.

After allegedly running into roadblocks during development that let the competition get ahead, he is now suing Apple for damages, the report said.

He has since used his Twitter account to highlight other scam apps that made it into the App Store.