Google files lawsuits against cryptocurrency scammers for fake android apps
By MYBRANDBOOK
Google launched a lawsuit against a group of cryptocurrency scammers, claiming that by posting fake investment and cryptocurrency trading apps to Google Play, they had tricked over 100,000 people globally. Google asserted that the con artists gave misleading information about their identities and the nature of the app in an effort to set legal precedents that would safeguard consumers.
Google says it’s the first tech company to take action against crypto scammers, and is doing so as a way to set a legal precedent to establish protections for users. The lawsuit claims the defendants made “multiple misrepresentations to Google in order to upload their fraudulent apps to Google Play, including but not limited to misrepresentations about their identity, location, and the type and nature of the application being uploaded.”
The company is bringing civil claims under the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) law as well as breach of contract claims against the group of scammers, who the company said created and published at least 87 fraudulent apps to dupe users.
The lawsuit, filed in the Southern District of New York, said the alleged scammers, identified as Yunfeng Sun, also known as Alphonse Sun, and Hongnam Cheung, also known as Zhang Hongnim or Stanford Fischer, conducted their scheme at least until 2019. The two allegedly lured victims to download their apps from Google Play and other sources through three methods: text message campaigns using Google Voice to victims primarily in the U.S. and Canada, online promotional videos on YouTube and other platforms, and affiliate marketing campaigns that paid user commissions for signing up people.
Sun, Cheung and their agents designed the apps to appear legitimate, showing users that they were maintaining balances on the app and earning returns on their investments, the lawsuit said. However, users couldn’t withdraw their investments or purported gains.
Google said in the complaint that when it would take the apps offline, the scammers would create new ones and upload them to Google Play, using “varying computer network infrastructure and accounts to obfuscate their identities, and making material misrepresentations to Google in the process.”
Google claims it suffered damages in excess of $75,000 by incurring expenses to investigate the breach and on safety and integrity resources. The company is seeking a permanent injunction against the defendants for general damages and to prevent them and their employees from creating Google accounts and accessing Google services.
BREAKING NEWS
TECHNO TRENDS
Nazara and ONDC set to transform in-game monetization with ‘
Nazara Technologies has teamed up with the Open Network for Digital Comme...
Jio Platforms and NICSI to offer cloud services to government
In a collaborative initiative, the National Informatics Centre Services In...
BSNL awards ₹5,000 Cr Project to RVNL-Led Consortium
A syndicate led by Rail Vikas Nigam Limited (abbreviated as RVNL), along wi...
Pinterest tracks users without consent, alleges complaint
A recent complaint alleges that Pinterest, the popular image-sharing platf...
E-Magazine
TECHNOTAINMENT
Netflix adds 'Moments' feature for saving, sharing scenes from
Netflix has introduced a new “Moments” feature on its mobile app, whic
Jacqueline Fernandez come together with YouTuber Mr. Beast for
Jacqueline Fernandez has partnered with American YouTuber Mr. Beast to b
MOVERS & SHAKERS
Visa elevates Rishi Chhabra as new Country Manager for India
Rishi holds a Master’s in Industrial Engineering from The Ohio State Univ
Genesys welcomes Albert Nel as Senior VP and Regional Sales Le
Genesys continues to deepen its investment in the APAC region. Earlier this
OPEN YOUR EYES
INTERVIEWS
Bolstering its commitment to help build a truly self-reliant B
CP PLUS is dedicated to spreading a sense of security to every corner of In
Autodesk continually pushing the boundaries in the Design and
Autodesk’s vision is of a better world designed and made for all. It inte
HOT PICK
SonicWall Launches TZ80: A Powerful Solution for Remote Office
SonicWall announced today the launch of the TZ80, a groundbreaking securit
Gigabyte X3D Turbo: A Gaming Revolution
GIGABYTE X3D Turbo Mode is a cutting-edge feature that unifies cores distr
MAKE IN INDIA BRANDS
SAMSUNG INDIA ELECTRONICS LTD.
TAC SECURITY SOLUTIONS
MICROTEK INTERNATIONAL PVT. LTD.
ACER INDIA PVT. LTD.
EMINENT CIO'S OF INDIA
ICONS OF INDIA
Icons Of India : NIKHIL RATHI
Co-founder & CEO of Web Werks, a global leader in Data Centers and Clo...
Icons Of India : Kumar Mangalam Birla
Aditya Birla Group chairman Kumar Mangalam Birla recently made a comeb...
Icons Of India : Deepak Sharma
Deepak Sharma spearheads Schneider Electric India. He brings with him ...
PARTNER SPEAKERS
PSU
C-DAC - Centre for Development of Advanced Computing
C-DAC is uniquely positioned in the field of advanced computing...
IOCL - Indian Oil Corporation Ltd.
IOCL is India’s largest oil refining and marketing company ...
UIDAI - Unique Identification Authority of India
UIDAI and the Aadhaar system represent a significant milestone in Indi...
VIDEOS
Top 25 Brands
Global Indian industry
Indian Tech Talent Excelling The Tech World - JAY CHAUDHRY, CEO – Zscaler
Jay Chaudhry, an Indian-American technology entrepreneur, is the CEO a...
Indian Tech Talent Excelling The Tech World - Thomas Kurian, CEO- Google Cloud
Thomas Kurian, the CEO of Google Cloud, has been instrumental in expan...
Indian Tech Talent Excelling The Tech World - Lal Karsanbhai, President & CEO, Emerson
Lal Karsanbhai, President and CEO of Emerson, assumed the leadership i...
STARNITE AWARDS 2024
ITFORUM 2024
CMO of the Year
WOMEN LEADERSHIP
IMAGE GALLERY
TRENDS IN TECHNOLOGY
MORE VIDEOS
ADVERTISEMENTS
TECHNOLOGY DISRUPTION
UNICORNS REVOLUTIONISING
