20 Crypto Phishing Apps Targeting Play Store Users

Beware of Crypto Phishing Apps on Google Play Store

The Google Play Store serves as a primary platform for Android users to access various applications, including popular cryptocurrency wallets. However, the recent surge in crypto-related phishing scams requires both oversight from Google’s app auditors and heightened vigilance from users.

Recent findings from Cyble Research and Intelligence Labs indicate the existence of at least 20 phishing applications masquerading as legitimate crypto wallet apps. These fraudulent applications aim to deceive users in order to harvest sensitive login details, including crypto credentials.

The Nature of the Threat

According to Cyble, the danger of this phishing campaign lies in its sophisticated tactics. The malicious apps are often disguised under the names of trusted, established applications and are hosted on developer accounts that were either previously benign or have been compromised. This, combined with a wide-reaching phishing infrastructure linked to over 50 domains, makes detecting these scams a more complex challenge for users and traditional cybersecurity measures.

Identifying the Malicious Apps

Notably, some of these impostor apps share their names with legitimate services but possess different package names. After filtering out duplicate entries, Cyble has spotlighted nine newly identified crypto phishing applications available on the Play Store:

Pancake Swap
Suite Wallet
Hyperliquid
Raydium
BullX Crypto
OpenOcean Exchange
Meteora Exchange
SushiSwap
Harvest Finance Blog

How These Scammers Operate

These hacker-operated applications often prompt users to enter a 12-word mnemonic phrase, signaling the user to input sensitive information under the pretense of accessing their wallet. Furthermore, these scams often exploit accounts that were previously used for legitimate app distribution to evade detection.

Take Action to Protect Yourself

If you discover that you have installed any of these deceptive crypto wallet applications, it is crucial to delete them immediately. The crypto scam industry saw an estimated revenue of about $9.9 billion in 2024, with growth expected to escalate in 2025, as artificial intelligence continues to enhance the sophistication of such scams.

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