UPDATE: Angry Birds scam developer fined £50,000 over fake Android apps

UPDATE: Mobile Entertainment reports the developer in question is A1 Agregator, with the regulator behind the fine PhonePayPlus.

An unnamed Latvian developer behind fake versions of popular games on Google Play has been fined £50,000 and ordered to repay £28,000 to victims, reports the BBC.

The scam described as the first of its kind in the mobile gaming space revolved around users downloading what appeared to be legitimate versions of games such as Angry Birds, Assassin's Creed and Cut the Rope.

Getting the message

Customers were unable to open the titles in question, however.

Instead, the releases automatically signed them up to a premium SMS service that charged them £5 per message received.

The BBC does not reveal just which court has issued the fine, however, nor does it mention the operating name of the offending company at the time the apps were originally distributed on Google Play, known then as Android Market.

It has been confirmed, though, that the apps in question have been removed by Google.

[source: BBC]