Fake apps ahoy – Temple Run: Oz FREE and Subway Surfers FREE hit Google Play

Every so often, a fake - and potentially malicious - app sneaks onto Google Play in a desperate attempt to either trick gamers out of their money or infect as many devices as possible.

This week, a scammer is launching a two-pronged assault on Android gamers with fake versions of Temple Run: Oz and Subway Surfers.

Phandroid was the first to notice these suspicious titles on Google Play and while there's no guarantee that the apps are malicious, we can guarantee that they are in no way official.

How can we be so sure? Subway Surfers is already free, so there's really no need for another free version of the game.

Because the Google Play store is an open ecosystem, fraudulent apps like this are an unavoidable nuisance.

Thankfully, such nuisances can be easily avoided if you read the game's overview thoroughly and do a quick web search on the developer.

At the bottom the overview for both scam apps, for example, the developer posts a disclaimer that states "This is not an actual game. It is just a link to the real game."

If the developer's name (FREE GAMES) isn't enough to scare you away, that last line should certainly raise a red flag or two.