Fake Ledger, Freecash pulled
Apple removed two malicious apps — impostor Ledger Live and the deceptive Freecash app — after investigators linked those storefront apps to about $9.5 million in user losses (marketingtrending.asoworld.com). Security commentators say these removals underline persistent gaps in App Store review and highlight ongoing risks for users downloading finance‑style or reward‑earning apps ( ).
Apple pulled a fake Ledger Live app and the rewards app Freecash from its App Store after reports tied them to crypto theft and deceptive data collection. (coindesk.com; techcrunch.com) The fake Ledger Live app was linked to about $9.5 million in losses from more than 50 victims between April 7 and April 13, according to blockchain investigator ZachXBT. Apple removed the app on April 13 after the findings were published. (cointelegraph.com; coindesk.com) ZachXBT said the scam hit users across Bitcoin, Solana, Tron, XRP Ledger and Ethereum-compatible networks, and identified three seven-figure losses, including $3.23 million in Tether on April 9 and about $2 million in USD Coin on April 11. He said the stolen funds moved through more than 150 KuCoin deposit addresses tied to a service called AudiA6; KuCoin told Cointelegraph it monitors suspicious activity and disputed claims it had “allowed” illicit flows. (cointelegraph.com) Ledger makes hardware wallets, which are physical devices meant to keep crypto keys offline, and its real Ledger Live software is used to manage those wallets. Ledger chief technology officer Charles Guillemet said the company never asks users for a 24-word recovery phrase and warned users not to treat an app store listing as proof that software is safe. (cointelegraph.com) Freecash worked differently: it was pitched on TikTok as a way to get paid for scrolling, but TechCrunch reported the app actually paid users to play mobile games while collecting large amounts of personal data. The app reached No. 2 on the United States App Store chart before Apple removed it on Monday, April 13. (techcrunch.com; macrumors.com) Malwarebytes reported in January that Freecash sought data including race, religion, sex life, sexual orientation, health and biometrics, and described the app as operating like a data broker for game marketers. Games promoted through the app included Monopoly Go and Disney Solitaire, according to TechCrunch. (malwarebytes.com; techcrunch.com) TikTok had already pulled some Freecash ads after a January Wired report found deceptive marketing tied to claims about earning money from watching videos. Freecash owner Almedia, based in Germany, told TechCrunch the misleading ads came from third-party affiliates, not the company, and said its apps were compliant with Apple and Google policies. (techcrunch.com) Apple told reporters it removed Freecash for violating App Store Review Guidelines 3.1.2(a) and 2.3.1, rules that cover scams, bait-and-switch tactics and misleading marketing. In the Ledger case, Apple said the developer used a bait-and-switch strategy to impersonate Ledger Live and trick users into entering recovery phrases. (9to5mac.com; cointelegraph.com) The two removals landed the same week that Apple was still promoting the App Store as a curated marketplace reviewed by experts and scanned for malware and fraud. Macworld said the back-to-back cases showed that Apple’s review system had missed both a fake finance app and a top-charting rewards app. (developer.apple.com; macworld.com) For iPhone and Mac users, the practical difference is simple: a finance app can steal money in one step, and a rewards app can trade on confusion long before it is removed. In both cases, the App Store listing was not enough to keep the apps from reaching users first. (coindesk.com; techcrunch.com; macworld.com)
