For those of you who don’t know what the smartphone app Houseparty is, let us give you a little background. The app started receiving a lot of attention and fame as soon as the lockdown began. It has now become an internet sensation and as per the data from Apptopia, the number of users per week has increased to a whopping 130,000.
Houseparty is basically a video calling application that has a wide range of games, from quizzes to trivia, that you can play with your friends.
However, as the number of people using the app increased so did the rumors about it being a scam. People fled to social media to inform others about the absurd experiences they’ve had since downloading the app.
They say their online accounts were hacked and used by someone. Accounts like Netflix, Ebay, Instagram, and Spotify experienced some illegitimate activities.
Hey kids, delete Houseparty – the hack is real, I've had money taken via Stripe and can trace it back to the day I downloaded it (someone also tried to hack my Instagram that day)
— Hayley Steed (@hayley_steed) March 31, 2020
Someone’s tried to hack my insta 3x since I been using Houseparty anyone else had any strange things like this happen to them?
— Audrey (@audreythefinest) March 30, 2020
Hate to add to the house party hack stories but I’ve had someone try to hack my insta over 500 times in the last week. Deleted the app and it’s stopped
— Michelle Elman (@MichelleLElman) March 30, 2020
Saba Qamar also gets involved
Recently, Pakistani actress and host Saba Qamar experienced something very similar. Her manager took to Instagram to explain how someone was using the number that Saba Qamar owns while she still had it in her daily use.
Got almost 10 calls from Saba’s number asking me if I am Mishi and the person was an anonymous young man.
https://www.instagram.com/p/B-keKs3Jo-O/?utm_source=ig_embed
Cheema also added that they suspect it was because of the famous Houseparty app that her phone may have got compromised. However, she says that things are currently under control.
We have made sure that all accounts are secure now, but just in case, if something goes wrong, we are informing every one of you ahead of time that this has happened.
Here’s what Miss Cheema posted on her Insta story:
Rumors about the application being a scam were slammed by the owners, who also developed the famous online game Fortnite. They are now offering a US $ 1 million to whoever gives them proof of it being a hack or being part of a paid commercial smear campaign.
We are investigating indications that the recent hacking rumors were spread by a paid commercial smear campaign to harm Houseparty. We are offering a $1,000,000 bounty for the first individual to provide proof of such a campaign to [email protected].
— Houseparty (@houseparty) March 31, 2020
For those of you who are concerned/indecisive about the application’s safety, iPhone users can delete it at any given time. However, the story is a little different for Android users, who will have to email Houseparty’s support channel at [email protected]
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