> Google will not accept prepaid cards for verification.

Precisely?

Maybe to spell it out once more, that it's about the other restrictions and not the 25$. Identity requirements is one of those others.

> identity requirements serve basic security needs

Last I heard, Google doesn't employ law enforcement. I can auth to the people we vote for and any laws they make such as bank KYC against specific criminal activity. Nobody gets scammed via an apk when it's infinitely easier to put up a webpage or socialmedia profile