Retail apps offer great deals and savings for the places you shop and brands you like, however, some are fake, and the knockoffs can do real damage.
Often the fake apps are aimed at stealing your personal information or your money.
Some of the imposters appear to be legitimate, but ABC News found fake apps ones for UGG, Dillard's, Zappos, New Balance, and Dollar Tree.
In fact, Dollar Tree told WSOC that it doesn't have an app at all.
Some fakes are a tad easier to spot because the names are slightly off, The New York Times reported, such as the "Footlocke" app attempting to imitate Foot Locker and the "Overstock Inc" app meant to snarl users hoping to find the Overstock.com app.
While some shoppers trust Apple's filters over Android's, LifeLock security communications director Joe Gervais still advised consumers to be cautious.
He said shoppers can find official apps from retailers on their websites. Also, he advised, shoppers should pay close attention to what information the app asks of you.
"If it's asking to share your contacts and have access to your photos and it's supposed to be a coupon app, give you shopping discounts, that's kind of a red flag," he said.
Gervais also said to click on the publisher, which is listed under the app's name. If it only makes that one app, that's a red flag.
Otherwise, you could end up with malware or ransomware instead of with good deals.
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