just as CoinDesk<\/em> reported that a fake Ledger app has ripped off millions from App Store users, TechCrunch<\/em> revealed that another application was harvesting sensitive user data. Apple pulled both of them today. Here are the details.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n In accordance with CoinDesk<\/em>at least 50 people recovered their Bitcoin, Ethereum, Solana, Tron, and XRP funds between April 7 and April 13, after a malicious app called Ledger Live slipped through the cracks and landed on the App Store.<\/p>\n Three of the biggest victims lost a total of seven, with $3.23 million in USDT stolen on April 9, $2.08 million in USDC on April 11 and $1.95 million in BTC, ETH and stETH on April 8.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n The report says the funds are traced to KuCoin deposit addresses associated with Audi A6, “a centralized crypto-mixing service known for charging high fees to hide illegal flows.”<\/p>\n CoinDesk<\/em> says Apple has removed the app from the App Store, but did not respond to requests for comment. So is KuCoin, which has faced legal issues related to cash withdrawal violations.<\/p>\n It’s not immediately clear how Ledger Lite got past the app update, and why Apple didn’t take action when the first reports of stolen funds started appearing after April 7.<\/p>\n CoinDesk<\/em>The report notes that “the incident could form the basis of a class action lawsuit,” according to Blockchain researcher ZachXBT.<\/p>\n The Ledger Live case wasn’t the only one that raised concerns for the App Store today.<\/p>\n In accordance with TechCrunch<\/em>Apple has pulled a data-harvesting app called Freecash from the App Store, after the app “appeared to have misled users as it rapidly climbed the charts” over the past few months.<\/p>\n The report notes that Freecash became popular on TikTok by promising users that they could “make money by scrolling TikTok,” when in reality, users were effectively trading sensitive personal data for rewards: <\/p>\n The Malwarebytes report notes that the app may collect information about users’ race, religion, sexual health, gender preference, health, and other biometrics, adding that the app is actually a data broker that wants to match game developers with users who are willing to invest and spend money on mobile games. Games promoted on Freecash include Monopoly Go and Disney Solitaire, among others.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n The Malwarebytes report came a few days later It has strings<\/em> reviewed the app, raising concerns about its misleading marketing and the scope of user data it may have been collecting.<\/p>\n TechCrunch<\/em>His investigation, based on data from Appfigures and AppMagic, found that the previous version of Freecash, published by Almedia GmbH, was removed from the App Store in mid-2024.<\/p>\n Months later, an existing app called Rewards, published by Cyprus-based 256 Rewards Ltd, was renamed Freecash and climbed to the top of the charts, raising questions about Almedia using another developer account to get back on the App Store.<\/p>\n Here it is TechCrunch<\/em>:<\/p>\n Almedia’s re-entry into the App Store with another developer account may have been a way to bypass the ban on the original Freecash app. Using another developer to re-enter the App Store after being banned is a common, albeit illegal, tactic. (A spokeswoman for Almedia declined to comment on the cancellation of its previous plan.)<\/p>\n A Washington Post report on the scam app ecosystem noted this trend, highlighting several fake apps that can disappear from the App Store and reappear under a different developer account. Some independent investigations have documented this tactic as well, and often, scam app owners use a portfolio of accounts, it has been reported.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n TechCrunch<\/em> says Freecash has been removed from the App Store after the site reached out to Apple for comment, as we work on the story:<\/p>\n After TechCrunch reached out to Apple for comment, the company removed Freecash from the App Store for violating its rules on Monday, citing misleading advertising. Apple pointed TechCrunch to two App Store Review Guidelines, 3.1.2(a) and 2.3.1, which prohibit scamming users, engaging in lure-and-switch tactics, and misleading marketing apps.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n Meanwhile, Almedia, “denied allegations of driving artificial traffic to its site or using deceptive marketing methods,” and added that its applications “fully comply with the policies of the Apple App Store and Google Play Store, as shown by the fact that they are live and pass the platform review.”<\/p>\n \t\t\t FTC: We use auto affiliate links to earn income.<\/em> More.<\/p>\n just as CoinDesk reported that a fake Ledger app has ripped off millions from App Store users, TechCrunch revealed that another application was harvesting sensitive user data. Apple pulled both of them today. Here are the details. A fake scanning app has stolen money from at least 50 users In accordance with CoinDeskat least 50 […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":12819,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[12],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-12818","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-laptops-gear"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.runwayritz.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12818","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.runwayritz.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.runwayritz.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.runwayritz.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.runwayritz.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=12818"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.runwayritz.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12818\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.runwayritz.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/12819"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.runwayritz.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=12818"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.runwayritz.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=12818"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.runwayritz.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=12818"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}A fake scanning app has stolen money from at least 50 users<\/h2>\n
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It’s a tough day for App Store reviews<\/h2>\n
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It’s worth checking out on Amazon<\/h4>\n
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