Many Cuphead fans were happy to find a copy of the game in the iOS App Store this morning, but those who shelled out cash for the download were duped by scammers.
Studio MDHR, the game’s developer, confirmed in a tweet that the iOS version was a fake.
“There is a Cuphead imposter app on the iOS store — this is a scam,” the developer wrote. “We are working on removing the fraudulent app ASAP!”
There is a Cuphead imposter app on the iOS store — this is a scam. We are working on removing the fraudulent app ASAP!
— Studio MDHR (@StudioMDHR) December 18, 2017
Cuphead is a notoriously difficult indie video game, and since its release has only been available on Microsoft Windows and Xbox One.
But scammers worked pretty diligently to create a Cuphead look-alike and even published a believable App Store download page. The scam took advantage of the fact that the game has never been released for iOS, fueling excitement for the possibility of a Mac download.
The game was promptly removed from the app store at 9:34am CT, but by then many had already paid for the fraudulent download.
Luckily, if you are one of those folks who was swindled, you can recover your lost funds from the App Store. A writer at Tom’s Guide has provided a handy step-by-step guide to reporting the fake game and recouping your losses.
You can report the fraud by heading over to the iTunes Store, selecting “Purchases, Billing & Redemption,” and writing in a description of the scam. Apple should reach out to you within 48 hours and issue a refund.