Internet criminals will stoop to new lows in an attempt to steal users’ Bitcoins these days. By targeting mobile users, developers can sneak in fake Bitcoin wallets into an app store. While it will pass the verification procedure for legitimate apps, that does not mean user funds will be safe. A fake variant of Bitcoin Wallet is making the rounds on the Apple app store right now.
Not Every Bitcoin Wallet Is The Same
Looking at the Apple App Store, the Bitcoin Wallet listed there seems to be the real deal. It uses the same name and shows identical screenshots as the legitimate Android and Blackberry versions. However, these looks are deceiving, as the Apple variant has nothing to do with the original developers of this project.
While this may not be an indication of malicious activity per se, there is no reason as to why the original screenshots should be used by anyone else but the original creators. Such type of behavior hints at attempting to defraud Bitcoin users with an iOS device, albeit that cannot be said for certain right now.
PSA: Do not download fake Bitcoin Wallet app from the Apple appstore! Bitcoin Wallet is only available for Android and BlackBerry OS.
— Bitcoin Wallet (@bitcoin_wallet) August 3, 2016
Interestingly enough, one Twitter user pointed out how this fake Bitcoin Wallet app seems to be using the Breadwallet source code. Not too long ago, there was a fake Breadwallet floating around in the app store as well, which had nothing to do with the original developers. It is anybody’s guess as to how these applications are even allowed in their respective app stores, though.
This goes to show Bitcoin users need to be vigilant at all times, especially when installing a client for their mobile device. A list of official Bitcoin wallets for any operating system can be found on the Wiki page. Even though that page may not always be up-to-date the listings mentioned there can be trusted.
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