Authored by Dexter Shin
McAfee’s Cellular Analysis Staff found a brand new and energetic Android malware marketing campaign focusing on Bengali-speaking customers, primarily Bangladeshi individuals residing overseas. The app poses as well-liked monetary companies like TapTap Ship and AlimaPay. It’s distributed by phishing websites and FacebookFacekbook pages, and the app steals customers’ private and monetary data. The marketing campaign stays extremely energetic, with the command-and-control (C2) server operational and linked to a number of evolving domains. Whereas the assault strategies aren’t new, the marketing campaign’s cultural focusing on and sustained exercise replicate how cybercriminals proceed to adapt their methods to succeed in particular communities. McAfee Cellular Safety already detects this menace as Android/FakeApp. For extra data, go to McAfee Cellular Safety.
Bangladeshi individuals residing overseas, significantly in nations equivalent to Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Malaysia, and the UK, rely closely on cellular cash companies to ship remittances and confirm their identities for numerous functions. Companies like bKash, TapTap Ship, and AlimaPay are extensively used and trusted inside this group.
In 2024, annual remittances despatched to Bangladesh reached almost $26.6 billion, rating sixth globally and third in South Asia. This large circulation of cross-border funds highlights the financial significance and digital engagement of the Bangladeshi diaspora.
Determine 1. High Recipients of Remittances in 2024 (Supply: World Financial institution)
As extra individuals use cellular monetary apps, cybercriminals are discovering new methods to trick them utilizing pretend apps and phishing web sites. Many customers belief apps shared by pals or household, and a few could not know the way to spot scams. This makes them simple targets for attackers.
In Might 2025, McAfee’s Cellular Analysis Staff recognized a malware marketing campaign designed to use these situations. The pretend Android app impersonates well-known cash switch companies and steals private data such because the person’s title, electronic mail handle, cellphone quantity, and picture ID (equivalent to a passport or nationwide ID card). It additionally makes an attempt to gather monetary knowledge like card numbers by pretend in-app pages. Furthermore, the C2 server’s storage is publicly uncovered, that means that the stolen knowledge might be accessed by anybody, which considerably will increase the danger of abuse.
Technical Findings
Distribution Strategies
Over the previous few weeks, these pretend apps have continued to look, suggesting an energetic and sustained marketing campaign focusing on Bengali-speaking customers. These apps are primarily distributed by phishing web sites that mimic trusted remittance companies, usually shared by way of pretend Fb pages.
Determine 2. Screenshot of a phishing web site
The web page is written completely in Bengali, mimicking a respectable remittance service generally utilized by Bangladeshi expatriates. Beneath is a translated excerpt of the principle message proven on the touchdown web page:
Bengali (authentic):
আসসালামু আলাইকুম।
প্রবাসী ভাইদের জন্য সুখবর। যারা কাজের পাশাপাশি বাড়তি আয় করতে চান, তারা বিকাশ, ফ্ল্যাশলোড ব্যবসা করতে পারেন। সম্পূর্ণ বৈধ উপায়ে। আপনার হাতের মধ্যে রয়েছে মোবাইলের মাধ্যমে। মোবাইল ব্যাংকিং করুন খুব সহজেই।
English (translation):
Peace be upon you.
Excellent news for our brothers residing overseas. In the event you’re seeking to earn further earnings alongside along with your job, you are able to do enterprise with bKash or FlashLoad in a totally authorized means. Every part is inside your attain by cellular. Cellular banking could be very simple.
Along with phishing web sites, the attackers additionally created pretend Fb pages that intently resemble respectable remittance companies. These pages usually reuse official logos, promotional pictures, and even movies taken from actual monetary platforms to look reliable. Nonetheless, the positioning hyperlinks on these pages level to phishing web sites internet hosting the malicious app.
Determine 3. Pretend Fb web page mimicking a respectable remittance service
Pretend App Evaluation
As soon as put in, the pretend app instantly presents an interface that intently resembles a respectable remittance software. It helps each Bengali and English language choices and exhibits realistic-looking change charges.
Determine 4. Preliminary UI of the pretend TapTap Ship app
Customers can choose from an inventory of nations with massive Bangladeshi expatriate populations, equivalent to Maldives, Dubai, Oman, Saudi Arabia, Malaysia, Canada, and India, to simulate cash transfers to Bangladeshi Taka (BDT). These particulars are doubtless included to determine belief and make the app seem useful. Nonetheless, these screens function bait to encourage customers to proceed with account creation and enter private data. As customers proceed by the registration circulation, the app requests more and more delicate knowledge in a number of phases. First, it requests the person’s electronic mail handle and full title. Then, it prompts them to pick their nation of residence and supply a sound cellular quantity. Subsequent, customers are requested to decide on an account sort, both “Private” or “Agent”, a distinction generally seen in actual remittance platforms.
Determine 5. Multi-step registration circulation (1)
Following this, the app reaches its most delicate stage: it asks the person to take and add a photograph of an official ID, equivalent to a passport, nationwide ID (NID), or an e-commerce verification picture. This request is made within the native language and framed as a requirement to finish account setup. After importing the ID, customers are then requested to create a login password and a 5-digit PIN, similar to actual monetary apps. This step makes the app really feel extra reliable and safe, however the collected credentials might later be utilized in credential stuffing assaults. All of this data is distributed to the C2 server and saved, making it obtainable for future fraud or id theft.
Determine 6. Multi-step registration circulation (2)
After finishing the registration course of, customers are taken to a completely designed dashboard. The interface mimics an actual monetary or remittance app, full with icons for cash switch, invoice fee, cellular banking, and even buyer assist options.
Determine 7. The pretend TapTap Ship app’s important dashboard
The malware consists of a number of pretend transaction interfaces. These screens simulate cellular cash transfers, invoice funds, and financial institution transfers utilizing logos from actual companies. Though no precise transaction is carried out, the app collects all entered data equivalent to cellphone numbers, account particulars, PINs, and fee quantities. This knowledge is then transmitted to the C2 server.
Determine 8. Pretend transaction screens that imitate actual monetary companies
C2 Server and Knowledge Exfiltration
All the knowledge collected by the pretend app, together with credentials, contact particulars, and picture IDs, is saved on the C2 server. Nonetheless, the server lacks fundamental safety settings. Listing itemizing is enabled, which implies anybody can entry the uploaded recordsdata with out authentication. Throughout our investigation, we discovered that one of many C2 domains contained 297 picture recordsdata. These recordsdata seem like picture IDs uploaded by customers in the course of the registration course of.
Determine 9. Publicly accessible listing itemizing on the C2 server
These ID pictures embody extremely delicate private data and are publicly accessible. If downloaded or misused, they may pose a critical privateness and id theft danger.
Determine 10. Instance of a delicate picture ID picture uploaded throughout app registration
Determine 11. Geographic distribution of contaminated gadgets
As anticipated, telemetry exhibits exercise in nations with massive Bangladeshi populations overseas, equivalent to Saudi Arabia, Malaysia, Bangladesh, and the United Arab Emirates. This aligns with the app’s focusing on of Bengali-speaking customers by culturally acquainted language and visuals. The marketing campaign stays energetic, with new phishing domains and variants persevering with to look. Given the evolving nature of this menace and its use of trusted platforms like Fb to distribute malicious content material, customers ought to keep cautious when encountering monetary service promotions by social media or unknown web sites. We suggest downloading apps solely from trusted sources equivalent to Google Play, avoiding hyperlinks shared by way of social media, and being further cautious when requested to supply private or banking data. Utilizing cellular safety software program that may detect and block these threats can also be strongly suggested.
Indicators of Compromise (IOCs)
