He only realised he'd been conned when his phone provider told him he'd been sending premium messages.
"I'm always quite careful with my phone," he said. "I never use it for internet banking, but I didn't count on the fact that there's another way people can get your money."
Nitin Lachani researches threats for PhonepayPlus and says it is a constant battle to keep up with the scammers.
"It is hectic," he said. "These guys are coming up with more and more sophisticated malware.
"There is a wider issue here. There is malware out there which can gain total access to your phone.
"A cyber criminal could then deliver apps to your phone which could tap into your phone calls, your messages.
"You've got to be think that phones are like computers and there is a massive link to your phone bill or potentially your credit card."
This scam only affected Android users. Google does not check applications before they appear on its app store, Google Play.
Rivals Apple and Blackberry both review apps before they are made available to download.
Google says apps which violate its policies will always be removed from Google Play, as happened in this case.