In the wake of Flappy Bird’s departure, a number of fake versions have sprung up on Android — in both the Play Store and third-party app stores. According secuirty firms, many of the fakes in third-party apps stores contain malware.

The game rose in popularity in the last little while at a blistering pace, making a ridiculous amount of money and eventually forcing the creator to remove it. This has caused a bit of a vacuum and there are undoubtedly people who are looking to find copies of the game, a fact that is being exploited.

Sophos, who are a security firm, discovered that there were several different versions of the app in third-party Android marketplaces. Some versions release malware onto your phone while others can even make you send a text to a number, which allows the malware’s creator opportunities for further access.

Trend Micro, which is another firm that deals in security, has also noticed Android-based Flappy Bird clones. All of them so far, according to the firm, “send messages to premium numbers, thus causing unwanted changes to victims’ phone billing statements.”

Despite the games popularity, you might want to hold off on trying to find one if you can. Both firms heavily recommend that people refrain from downloading any apps that claim to be Flappy Bird, since the official version is “dead”.

[via Cnet, The Next Web]