Security software company Sophos said that Instagram has become the latest app to be targeted by Android malware writers, who have created a fake version “designed to earn money from unsuspecting users.”

The counterfeit app is being offered via a Russian website, rather than the official Google Play marketplace. The product, which “doesn’t do a very good job of emulating the genuine Instagram app,” appears to earn its creators cash by sending premium SMS messages in the background.

The intention is to capitalise on the current interest in Instagram, which only recently became available for Android after a long period of iOS exclusivity. In addition, the profile of Instagram has been raised by the developer’s US$1 billion acquisition by Facebook.

Instagram is not the only app to suffer in this way – earlier this month, Sophos noted that Angry Birds Space has also been the victim of counterfeiting.

The fake Instagram app apparently contains the Andr/Boxer-F malware.