Quote:Seven malicious Android applications were found posing as voice messaging apps by Trend Micro when they were actually using fake surveys to collect personal info and automated clicks on ad-ridden web pages as part of an ad fraud scheme.

"Observed variants of these malicious apps and malware have been deployed one by one since October, with its evolution including evasive techniques and its infection behavior divided into several stages," said Trend Micro in their analysis.

The malware strain dubbed AndroidOS_FraudBot.OPS has been observed while trying to collect personally identifiable information (PII) from users via fake surveys and offering gift cards as rewards for filling them out.
In addition, the malicious apps also used random app touch events on ad pages loaded as pop-ups to generate fraudulent ad clicks.