AI scams & fake tools

Red flags

• “Official ChatGPT” Android APKs outside Google Play / Apple App Store
• Sites asking for OpenAI API key to “unlock free GPT-5”
• Telegram bots that steal keys or wallet seeds
• Pay to remove watermark / “verify humanity”
• Browser extensions with full page access + mystery AI features
• Deepfake job interviews → real employer uses official careers site only

Safe habits

• Get apps from vendor domain only (openai.com, anthropic.com, google.com)
• Rotate API keys if pasted into unknown UIs; use env vars, not commits
• For local models, download from ollama.com, huggingface.co, or project GitHub
• Student offers: verify on education.github.com, not random DMs

Report

• Vendor security/abuse contact
• App store report
• India: cybercrime.gov.in