Tech giant Google has issued a security alert, warning user across the world about rising presence of virtual private network (VPN) apps that are stealing sensitive personal and financial data on a pretext of privacy protection.
In the Fraud and Scams Advisory, released in November 2025, the tech giant underscored the exploitation of surging demand for online security tools, saying that many of fake VPNs impersonate trusted brands or lure users through advertising. Once they infect users’ devices with spywares, they steal valuable date.
As per Laurie Richardson, Google’s vice president of trust and safety, these apps appear genuine and perform basic VPN functions, however, in the background they can compromise passwords, banking details and private messages.
Highlighting the surging demand in VPN use due to some countries’ laws such as the US and UK which restrict access to adult content, Google said these malicious apps install banking trojans and remote access tools capable of extracting browsing histories.
Also read: What is Android Earthquake Alerts System and how does it work?
Google advised users to download VPNs only from verified sources, such as the Play Store, and to avoid free services that request excessive permissions like access to contacts or messages.
