Beware The App Store Scam: MineCraft Impersonator Appears In App Store
by Joe White
August 15, 2012
Reporting on criminal applications has become something of a favourite here at AppAdvice, and rightly so. From fake jailbreak tweak-impersonating apps to faux Microsoft Word or Monopoly apps, "App Store scams" aplenty have appeared in our beloved App Store over the years, and countless iDevice owners have been fleeced out of a couple of dollars (or more) due to Apple's somewhat lax application approval process. Now, unsurprisingly, a new app scam has appeared: called "Mooncraft: Build Blocks," this new addition to our list of App Store scams appears to offer users a MineCraft-like experience, but falls well short of expectations.
Most of you will know that a paid version of MineCraft - MineCraft - Pocket Edition - is already available in the App Store for $6.99. Most MineCraft-impersonator scam apps therefore undercut this $6.99 price and promise to offer a similar experience for a few dollars. In this case, Mooncraft - the scam app - is available for $2.99.
However, as the application's numerous one-star reviews note, Mooncraft is indeed no MineCraft-like app. Says one reviewer:
I though [sic] this game was a better Minecraft than the real Minecraft and it's deffinetely [sic] not! It's just blocks falling down (like tetris) [sic]In short: avoid this app! And if you're looking for the real MineCraft iOS experience, head on over to the App Store and purchase MineCraft - Pocket Edition. As mentioned, it's currently available for $6.99, and is compatible with both the iPhone and iPad. Do you know of an App Store scam we haven't reported on? If so, get in touch via email, and we'll warn the masses! Thanks Kevin for the tip.
