South Africans are a target for Pokemon GO’s black market

September 26, 2016

It seems that some Pokemon GO users will go to any lengths to catch ’em all.

A Pokémon GO underground black market has emerged that helps players advance in the game, if they are willing to pay for it, says Simon McCullough, Channel Manager for Africa at F5 Networks.

“But the cost may be more than they bargained for.”

“If you use the Pokémon GO ‘black market’ to advance your progress in the game you will have very little protection when buying items from this market.”

This is because the majority of Pokemon GO users are using unauthorised versions of the app while playing, as the game has not officially released in South Africa.

While those of you who have used international stores and recognised sites to obtain the app have nothing to worry about, thousands have obtained the game from less legitimate sources.

“Many fake versions of the app have appeared online and any unsuspecting users who download these fake versions will be inevitably be sharing their private information with unknown sources.”

“There is also the potential that hackers are using the fake versions to plant malware on people’s devices, which can then be used to steal information such as passwords and credit card details.”