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Scammed by the top result for 'Bitcoin wallet' in Apple App Store

news.ycombinator.com

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Re: Scammed by the top result for 'Bitcoin wallet' in Apple App Store

#121

Post by aws_ls »

habeanf wrote: post #13
echelon_musk wrote: post #9

Why did you have to transfer bitcoin? Surely you would just load your private key into the app unless I'm missing something.

Honestly, I got lazy, and that's on me. I was using the standard bitcoin wallet app on android. It did seem weird I can't restore the wallet I backed up in the android app, but the android app github doesn't point to an app store app, so I figured there just isn't and the android app's backup format is something detached. Then I figured a legit apple app could generate a wallet and I could transfer the bitcoin betwee…

> The apple app indeed received it and promptly sent it off somewhere else. What's even crazier is that the apple app shows this info!

Did you try moving the crypto back to your Android wallet? Sometimes they do move to cold storage, or invest into DeFi schemes. It will be hidden in their T&C.

Re: Scammed by the top result for 'Bitcoin wallet' in Apple App Store

#122

Post by mvolfik »

Rodmine wrote: post #77
blibble wrote: post #8

I don't think I've ever searched for something on the app store and not got a scam as the first result just tried it - my bank? I get crypto.com - train company app? knockoff app that charges extra fees - my broker? CFD gambling app - official government app for paying my tax? intuit product I dare to think how many people this lures in scammy ads plastered everywhere is what I'd expect from Google products not for t…

> scammy ads plastered everywhere is what I'd expect from Google products This won’t fit with the manufactured popular understanding, but at the current time, Google protects you from fraud and scam better than anyone. I have been unfortunate enough to be scammed recently from a bing search result (ad). (It was a new computer and I decided to use Edge and bing was the default search). Apple, Microsoft etc. are rookie…

> Google protects you from fraud and scam better than anyone

I have to disagree. Czech Youtube is currently full of scam ads with photos (and sometimes even bad deepfakes) of Czech president and other public figures, supposedly endorsing some investment product that yields you like 50% profit. I keep reporting these, and I know some people who do too, but ~80% of those reports get handled as "we determined no violation of our rules".

Re: Scammed by the top result for 'Bitcoin wallet' in Apple App Store

#123

Post by Lockal »

1) You see recently visited apps on top of search results. Same applies for Google/Yandex (unless you turned off specific personalization settings). It is a feature to save your time from scrolling.

2) Post on Reddit is FUD from competitors (newly created account included). People who transfer C$150k know exactly what to do when they lose money (no, they don't visit /r/Bitcoin to ask "any chance of fund recovery or all gone?"). Don't promote FUD on HN.

Re: Scammed by the top result for 'Bitcoin wallet' in Apple App Store

#124

Post by npteljes »

Rodmine wrote: post #77
blibble wrote: post #8

I don't think I've ever searched for something on the app store and not got a scam as the first result just tried it - my bank? I get crypto.com - train company app? knockoff app that charges extra fees - my broker? CFD gambling app - official government app for paying my tax? intuit product I dare to think how many people this lures in scammy ads plastered everywhere is what I'd expect from Google products not for t…

> scammy ads plastered everywhere is what I'd expect from Google products This won’t fit with the manufactured popular understanding, but at the current time, Google protects you from fraud and scam better than anyone. I have been unfortunate enough to be scammed recently from a bing search result (ad). (It was a new computer and I decided to use Edge and bing was the default search). Apple, Microsoft etc. are rookie…

Google is also kind of shit at this. To be safer, it's advised to block web ads so that the sometimes scammy first result is hidden in the search results.

Re: Scammed by the top result for 'Bitcoin wallet' in Apple App Store

#125

Post by npteljes »

andrei_says_ wrote: post #22
openthc wrote: post #3

I thought the Apple platform had the best consumer experience and that's why folk love it -- it "just works" -- cause they keep the riff-raff out of their gated community. Perhaps they let this one slip through because their team was too busy dragging out the review process for our cannabis compliance application, they can only afford so many reviewers after all. We wouldn't want children accidentally getting their h…

It did - before cheapo enshittification started creeping in. I believe some time ago I saw some research on the quality of App Store app review process … zero protection. But, even at this stage, Apple is still “the best”, because of the slower pace of the corruption and in comparison to the toxic dumpster fire of the alternatives. Android and Windows are spyware/malware masquerading as OSs.

Or, we can say that all of them are dumpster fires, even if Apple is maybe the best of the shitty app stores.

On Apple though, you don't have anything other the App store. That's something to consider. On Android, you have the chance to install F-Droid for example.

Re: Scammed by the top result for 'Bitcoin wallet' in Apple App Store

#126

Post by npteljes »

endisneigh wrote: post #69

Sad to say but it seems pretty are pretty dumb. Robinhood yields robinhood for first non-ad app, same with Bank of America, chase, Citi, etc. do people really just click the first thing they see? Wow. As for the example - can’t replicate, but seems crazy to put a seed phrase into some random app you didn’t get yourself. Even if the app wasn’t a scam.

>do people really just click the first thing they see?

It's just people behaving in a certain way, and that being exploited. If people had a different behavior, the exploit would be different too.

Re: Scammed by the top result for 'Bitcoin wallet' in Apple App Store

#127

Post by tasuki »

doix wrote: post #88
pie420 wrote: post #26

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Apples app store is way worse than the google play store. i was shocked at how bad the app store is with shitty ads and promoted content over organic search results

And yet, the top result for "Bitcoin wallet" on the play store isn't a scam. And on it's definitely not a scam on F-Droid where I would personally look for a Bitcoin wallet.

You do you. I'd not use a phone for a Bitcoin wallet.

Re: Scammed by the top result for 'Bitcoin wallet' in Apple App Store

#128

Post by lnxg33k1 »

It is very important that common people understand that the Apple App Store is not a way to outsource their own security and blindly install whatever they find on it, personally I was always convinced that Apple Marketing about the security of their App Store in regard to opening competition sources of app installs, has done a lot of damage to their users for the benefit of their shareholders, and if I was a Apple user I would be pretty upset for them up to the point where I would be unable to trust them. Whatever the source you're responsible for your own safety. Don't be a victim of marketing departments.

Re: Scammed by the top result for 'Bitcoin wallet' in Apple App Store

#129

Post by ur-whale »

> Earlier today I decided to switch my Android for an iPhone.

Mistake #1 : switching to an even more closed computing environment, where user has strictly no control

> android

Mistake #2 : running on a tech. stack you do not control: closed-source, walled-garden

> wallet

Mistake #3 : using a wallet instead of your own private cold storage to hold any kind of significant amounts of money

> but its still up there, #1 search result.

Mistake #4 : trusting that Apple is making huge efforts to secure their environment.

In the same vein as "not your keys, not your coins" :

    - "trust the vendor, not your coins"

    - "not your hardware, not your coins"

    - "not your operating system, not your coins"

    - "not your key management software, not your coins"

    - "not open source and therefore not auditable, not your coins"

Re: Scammed by the top result for 'Bitcoin wallet' in Apple App Store

#130

Post by EVa5I7bHFq9mnYK »

sensanaty wrote: post #109
EVa5I7bHFq9mnYK wrote: post #103

Earlier quoted context omitted.

[flagged]

iOS exploits are worth the same as Android ones.

An iPhone user is typically from a rich country, like US or Japan, an Android user is typically from India or China. Here's 10x wealth difference.

Add to this the fact the iPhone users are dumber and more prone to expoits, so of course hackers would rather focus on App Store.

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