DOZENS of popular Android apps have been removed from the Google Play Store and users are now being advised to delete them from their phones.

Software laced within the apps has the ability to bombard users with unwanted adverts and intrusive browser redirects, a cyber-crime organisation says.

WhiteOps believes a criminal group were behind the threat - with the software targetting the beauty and selfie market.

Google deleted most of the apps within a few weeks - but not before they amassed a total of 20 million downloads.

In a post on its website, WhiteOps said: “The White Ops Satori Threat Intelligence and Research Team recently identified and tracked a fraud operation that rendered fraudulent advertising in users’ devices. These apps amassed more than 20 million downloads."

They added that what the apps "all have in common is their focus on beauty"

"Most purport to be selfie apps that add beauty filters to users’ pictures, while at the same time showing ads out of context and making it nearly impossible to remove the apps themselves."

If you have any of the below apps, you are advised to delete them.

Yoroko Camera - 100,000 installs

• Solu Camera - 500,000 installs

• Lite Beauty Camera - 1 million installs

• Beauty Collage Lite - 500,000 installs

• Beauty & Filters Camera - 1 million installs

• Photo Collage & Beauty Camera - 100,000 installs

• Beauty Camera Selfie Filter - 10,000 installs

• Gaty Beauty Camera - 500,000 installs

• Pand Selife Beauty Camera (sic) - 50,000 installs

• Catoon Photo Editor & Selfie Beauty Camera (sic) - 1 million installs

• Benbu Selife Beauty Camera (sic) - 1 million installs

• Pinut Selife Beauty Camera & Photo Editor (sic) - 1 million installs

• Mood Photo Editor & Selife Beauty Camera (sic) - 500,000 installs

• Rose Photo Editor & Selfie Beauty Camera - 1 million installs

• Selife Beauty Camera & Photo Editor (sic) - 100,000 installs

• Fog Selife Beauty Camera (sic) - 100,000 installs

• First Selife Beauty Camera & Photo Editor (sic) - 500,000 installs

• Vanu Selife Beauty Camera (sic) - 100,000 installs

• Sun Pro Beauty Cameraa (sic) - 1 million installs

• Funny Sweet Beauty Camera - 500,000 installs

• Little Bee Beauty Camera - 1 million installs

• Beauty Camera & Photo Editor Pro - 1 million installs

• Grass Beauty Camera - 1 million installs

Best Selfie Beauty Camera - 1 million installs

• Orange Camera - 500,000 installs

• Sunny Beauty Camera - 1 million installs