If you happened to get an Amazon Alexa device for the holidays, be careful when setting it up. There’s a new fake Alexa Setup app in the iOS App Store that is up to no good.
As pointed out by 9to5Mac, the app, called “Setup for Amazon Alexa,” is quickly climbing the Top Free app charts, even finding its way to the sixth spot in the Utilities section. Oof.
The good news is that it doesn’t seem to be as bad as it could be because it doesn’t immediately ask for your Amazon username and password, which could be catastrophically bad for many users (this is a good time to mention that you should always use 2FA on your Amazon account!). Instead, it simply asks for your Alexa device’s IP address and serial number. What they’re doing with that information is still the bigger question.
What’s more troubling is that the developer of this app, One World Software, has a couple of other questionable apps in the App Store—“Marketplace — Buy/Sell” and “Any Font for Instagram,” the former of which carries the same colors as Facebook. Shady, shady crap.
As always, pay attention to what you’re installing. In this case, if you’re trying to set up a new Alexa device, Amazon will always be the developer of the application (the exact name is AMZN Mobile). If it’s anyone else, it’s not the right app. And if you’re looking for help setting up your Amazon Echo (or other Alexa device), we have you covered.
RELATED: How to Set Up and Configure Your Amazon Echo
via 9to5Mac
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