Fake 'WhatsApp Messenger' clone on Google Play by 'Agment Assets sallu' reached about 500,000 downloads

What happened

TECHBOOK reported on 21 October 2026, in an article also carried by Yahoo News, that a fake WhatsApp app reached around 500,000 downloads in the Google Play Store. It says the listing used the same name and icon as the real app and copied screenshots and description text from the official listing, but was published by a developer called 'Agment Assets sallu' rather than WhatsApp LLC, the Meta subsidiary that publishes the genuine app. Citing screenshots shared on Reddit, TECHBOOK says the clone was shown to some users as a sponsored search result, which made it especially prominent, and citing Android Authority it says the app used Google's Early Access programme, where public user reviews are disabled so other users cannot leave warnings. TECHBOOK says it is unclear what the developer intends with the app. TECHBOOK advises checking the provider before installing any app: for the official WhatsApp app, WhatsApp LLC must be listed as the developer. The clone was first reported by Android Authority on 16 October 2026; TECHBOOK does not say whether the listing is still available.

How the scam works

A clone app works by looking exactly like the genuine one at a glance. When a search for WhatsApp shows a sponsored result with the right name and icon, many people tap 'Install' without opening the listing. The copied screenshots and description make the page look official, and the download count gives a false sense of safety. Because Early Access listings hide public reviews, the usual warnings from earlier victims don't appear.

TECHBOOK does not say what the app does once installed, and it is not known whether it steals data, shows ads or does something else. Any app that impersonates a messaging service could be used to collect phone numbers, verification codes or contacts, so the safe course is to remove it. The genuine WhatsApp is not involved and WhatsApp LLC did not publish the clone.

Source

TECHBOOK (via Yahoo News), "WhatsApp Fake in Play Store Deceives Hundreds of Thousands of Users" (published 21 October 2026).