Handcent Next SMS just flagged by Play Protect -- what's going on?

I've been using **Handcent Next SMS** app for many years. A few moments ago, the Playstore's Play Protect just disabled the app on my phone saying the following: > This app is fake. It tries to take over your device or steal your data. The [webpage](https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.handcent.app.nextsms&hl=en_US&gl=US) for the app comes up blank now: To my knowledge, 10,000s of people have been using this app for many years. **Did something just change?** Anybody have more information about this sudden change/situation??