App Store Scammers: Flash Video Guide, Developed By PLD Soft

Here at AppAdvice, we want our readers to have the best App Store experience possible - which is why we recommend apps, and provide the best industry and app news, on a day to day basis. However, not all iOS applications in the App Store are genuine. In fact, many shameful developers are attempting to “scam” Apple fans like you and me, by creating applications that are – quite simply – fake. In this new series, we're going to be looking into apps which appear to be "scams," naming and shaming the developer so our readers don't waste valuable cash on fraudulent apps.

Flash Video Guide

Yesterday, we got an e-mail from one of our readers (thanks, Nathan!) warning us about an app called Flash Video Guide. The app, Nathan claimed, was a scam. Here are the facts: Flash Video Guide is available in the App Store for $2.99. It is developed by PLD Soft. This isn't the first app by PLD Soft. The developer had another app in the App Store called Flash Video Discover, which Apple eventually pulled. According to a variety of forum posts (here and here), this app was a scam. However, it's now made its way back into the App Store under a different name: "Flash Video Guide." PLD Soft doesn't even have a website. When you click on the link provided in Flash Video Guide's release notes, you're taken to a blank WordPress template. The support website takes you to a Twitter account. The application's description is very vague, discussing support for Adobe Flash. The most important thing worth nothing, is that this app does not display Flash video on your iDevice. If you're looking for an app that can do that, check out Skyfire Web Browser. Flash Video Guide has a lot of positive reviews in iTunes. (I'm guessing these are fake) The application has been discussed in this Apple Support Forum thread. In the thread, Apple fans are not recommending this app - claiming that it is, indeed, a scam. Overall, we're recommending that readers not buy Flash Video Guide. It appears as if this application is a scam - a blatant attempt to rip App Store users off. For this reason, we're not listing it in our "Mentioned Apps" section at the bottom of this article. If you want to look at the "application" in the App Store, click this link. However, do not buy the app. And, if you've been scammed by a developer, send me an e-mail (joe@appadvice.com), and we'll warn our readers.

Mentioned apps

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