London: The original Flappy Bird has been officially taken off the mobile app stores, but hackers have reportedly released knock-offs of the `addictive` game, containing spam, to trick users into sending premium rate text messages.
The fake apps that appear identical to the original version have been traced in Google`s Android Play Store.
Security firm Trend Micro, which first discovered the malicious app, said that all of the fake versions of Flappy Bird were so far premium service abusers, apps that send messages to premium numbers, thus causing unwanted charges to victims` phone billing statements, the BBC reports.
The firm said that the fake Flappy Bird app asks for the additional read/send text messages permissions during installation, something that is not required in the original version.
The report added the security firm saying that the fake apps were most prominent in stores targeted at users in Russia, as well as Vietnam.
Trend Micro added the fake app also poses a risk of information leakage for the user since it sends out the phone number, carrier, Gmail address registered in the device, the report added.
