Scam Bitcoin Wallets Are Still Reigning Free on Apple's App Store Despite Multiple Reports
Apple's App Store continues to publish fraudulent apps that mimic popular Bitcoin wallets, leading to the theft of money from unsuspecting users.
- "There is still a scam ‘Sparrow Wallet’ app on the Apple App Store, despite myself and others having reported it weeks ago. Worse, you have to install it to report it," reported Craig Raw, the creator of Sparrow Wallet.
- Another scam app impersonating Samourai Wallet is also live on the app store.
"We do not have an iOS app. Any app claiming to be Samourai on iOS is without question a scam designed to steal your Bitcoin. Full stop. If you have access to an iOS device please report this fraudulent app," reminded Samourai Wallet last year.
- Another already removed scam wallet targeting Electrum users led to a user losing 'not a life changing but significant' amount of money, reported Oscar P back in November.
- "My friend succumbed to the "Electrum Wallet Management" app typed their seed phrase in and... money gone," he wrote.
"The app looks like the real thing, similar logo, similar name. They however describe themselves as an 'Expense and Budget Manager' and even include a couple of disclaimers stating they are not a 'Cryptocurrency wallet.'"
- "This is clever as Electrum doesn't publish on the AppStore. So the fake app can take the #1 spot in search ranking, it will look like the correct result to the inexperienced or hurried user who isn't going to read the blurb - but it will be less likely to trigger the AppStore police who do read the blurb."
- "The apps ask for a private key, and when given a seed phrase promptly upload it to their server and spend to their own address. I haven't downloaded these to test. The apps give some innocuous "unable to connect" error so as not to alert the user to anything," Oscar P added.
- Back in December, Electrum Wallet has published a post describing the most common malware attacks targeting Electrum users.
