Cryptocurrency users have fallen victim to a fake Ledger Live application on Microsoft’s app store, resulting in the theft of almost $600,000 in Bitcoin. The scam, named “Ledger Live Web3,” is designed to deceive users into thinking they are downloading the legitimate “Ledger Live” application, which is a user interface for Ledger hardware wallets used to store cryptocurrency securely offline.
The fraudulent application managed to collect approximately 16.8 BTC, equivalent to $588,000, across 38 separate transactions. This sum was sent to the scammer’s wallet address “bc1q….y64q.” Subsequently, about $115,200 was transferred out of the scammer’s wallet through two transactions, leaving them with $473,800 or 13.5 BTC.
The initial transaction to the scammer’s wallet occurred on October 24, with a value of $5,210. Most of the transactions took place after November 2, with the largest transfer being $81,200 on November 4. A search by Nosisnews confirmed that the fake “Ledger Live Web3” application was available on Microsoft’s app store as early as October 19.
Cryptocurrency analyst ZachXBT, who identified the scam, received messages from victims on November 4 and argued that Microsoft should be held accountable for allowing the fake Ledger Live app to be featured on its platform. This isn’t the first time a fake Ledger Live app has appeared on Microsoft’s app store, as Ledger’s support account on social media warned users about similar scams in December and March.
Ledger has emphasized that the only safe way to download Ledger Live is from its official website, ledger.com. Nosisnews contacted Microsoft for comment but received no immediate response. Users are urged to exercise caution and verify the authenticity of applications before downloading them to avoid falling victim to such scams.
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