Deceptive Data-Harvesting App Freecash Banned From Major App Stores After Months At Top Rankings

A data-harvesting money-making app called Freecash, which tricked users, climbed to the top of Apple’s App Store and Google Play, and held high rankings for months before being removed, is now at the center of a growing scandal over deceptive marketing and unauthorized sensitive data collection.

If you’ve spent time on TikTok in 2026, you have almost certainly encountered paid promotions for Freecash. The app was heavily marketed as an easy way to earn extra cash just for scrolling TikTok — a hook that helped it shoot straight to the upper tiers of both major app store charts, at one point peaking at the No. 2 spot on the U.S. App Store.

Per cybersecurity firm Malwarebytes, however, the app’s actual business model looks very different from its marketing. Freecash only pays users for testing new mobile games, while quietly collecting massive volumes of highly sensitive personal data in the background. Malwarebytes’ analysis found the app can collect private user details including race, religious beliefs, sexual activity, sexual orientation, health status, and biometric information. Researchers add that Freecash operates essentially as a data broker, matching mobile game developers with users who are likely to install and spend money on new titles. Popular games promoted via the platform include Monopoly Go and Disney Solitaire, among others.

Back in January, a Wired investigation first exposed Freecash’s deceptive marketing tactics and its practice of pushing users to spend money in promoted games. In response, TikTok removed a selection of Freecash ads, noting the app violated the platform’s rules against financial misrepresentation. At the time, Freecash’s parent company denied responsibility, claiming the problematic ads were created by third-party affiliates, not the Freecash team itself.

Last Monday, after TechCrunch reached out to Apple for comment on Freecash’s practices, Apple pulled the app entirely from the App Store. As of that Monday afternoon, Freecash was still listed on Google Play — though it has since been removed from that platform as well.

When contacted for comment, Almedia, the Germany-based company that owns Freecash, denied allegations of artificial bot traffic or deceptive marketing.

---

Meet your next investor or portfolio startup at TechCrunch Disrupt 2026

Your next funding round. Your next key hire. Your next breakout opportunity. Find it at TechCrunch Disrupt 2026, where 10,000+ founders, investors, and tech leaders gather for three days of 250+ tactical sessions, high-impact introductions, and market-defining innovation. Register now to save up to $410 on your pass.

---

“Our apps are fully compliant with the Apple App Store and Google Play Store policies, as demonstrated by the fact that they are live and regularly pass platform reviews,” read a statement from Almedia PR manager James Law, on behalf of the company’s press office. “We do not comment on internal product strategy regarding specific app listings.”

How an app with these alleged practices was able to manipulate social media ads and platform algorithms to reach the top of app store rankings remains an open question. Data from market intelligence firm Appfigures shows Freecash’s downloads exploded starting in late 2025: it grew from 876,000 total global downloads in October 2025 to 5.5 million by January 2026. That rapid growth pushed it to the No. 2 spot on the U.S. App Store, and the app held a top 5 position nearly every day after January 8. On Google Play, it climbed as high as No. 7 overall, per Appfigures.

Downloads peaked at nearly 6 million in February 2026 before declining, with current estimates projecting roughly 3 million new installs in April 2026. Beyond misleading TikTok ads, investigators have also found red flags including potential fake user ratings, suspiciously favorable Google backlinks, and use of bots to artificially inflate traffic to the app.

A Pattern of Alleged Bait-and-Switch

Before Freecash rocketed to the top of both app stores, Almedia attempted to launch the app twice under different developer accounts, third-party data shows.

Appfigures data confirms Almedia first submitted the original Freecash to the Apple App Store on March 24, 2024, but that version was removed roughly two months later, on June 13, 2024 (rival analytics firm Appmagic dates the removal to June 12). That original build was downloaded an estimated 69,500 times before being taken down.

Months later, a pre-existing app already on the App Store — developed by Cyprus-based 256 Rewards Ltd — was rebranded as Freecash, and the updated version was pushed out under that existing app’s ID, per third-party analytics. It remains unclear whether Almedia acquired the entire Cyprus-based company (which originally operated an app called Rewards) or just purchased its existing developer account. Rewards no longer maintains an active website or social media presence, and the company’s original co-founders have since launched a new venture called Pushed. The co-founders did not respond to requests for comment sent via their new company’s contact email.

Industry analysts note that re-entering the App Store through a second developer account after an initial ban is a common, but explicitly against platform rules, tactic used by bad actors to circumvent past policy violations. Almedia’s spokesperson declined to comment on the removal of the original 2024 version of Freecash.

Prior reporting from The Washington Post on the broader scam app ecosystem has documented this exact pattern, highlighting how fraudulent apps disappear from app stores only to reemerge under new developer accounts. Multiple independent investigations have confirmed this tactic, noting that scam app operators often maintain an entire portfolio of separate developer accounts to avoid detection.

While it is not definitively confirmed that Almedia used this strategy to skirt App Store rules, it is on the public record that the original Rewards app was renamed to Freecash only five months before it rocketed to the top of both app stores. Almedia’s representative also declined to confirm whether the original 2024 app was removed for policy violations.

Apple’s App Store guidelines explicitly ban attempts to trick the App Review process, including circumventing past bans through alternate accounts. After TechCrunch reached out to Apple for comment, the company pulled Freecash from the App Store, citing violations of platform rules around misleading marketing. Apple pointed to two specific guidelines, 3.1.2(a) and 2.3.1, which ban scamming users, bait-and-switch tactics, and misleading app marketing. Apple also noted that its Developer Program License Agreement bars developers from engaging in any unlawful, unfair, misleading, fraudulent, or dishonest business practices related to their apps.

Almedia appears to have used the same tactic on Google Play, per Appfigures. The original Freecash app on Google Play, listed under developer ID com.freecash.twa, was removed back in January 2024. The most recent version of the app was listed under a completely different developer ID: com.freecash.app2. Google initially told TechCrunch it was investigating the app, and confirmed after this report was first published that it removed Freecash from Google Play at approximately 2 AM PT on April 15, 2026.

As of April 10, just days before the full ban, Freecash still held the No. 7 spot on the U.S. App Store and No. 13 on Google Play. Even amid all the allegations of deceptive practices, Freecash maintained a very high 4.7-star average user rating on both app stores. Falsifying user ratings is a common, relatively simple practice for bad actors, and investigators note the high rating likely helped the app avoid being flagged for removal by Apple’s automated systems.

In its statement to TechCrunch, Apple advised users who encounter suspected scam or fraudulent apps to report them via the company’s reportaproblem.apple.com portal.

Updated April 15, 2026 to confirm Freecash’s removal from Google Play.