Bitcoin Scam App Approved by Apple Robs iPhone User of $600,000+

[SegNerd]

In the US, at least, liability is shifted away from the final consumer. If you go into an empty lot and break your leg, you can sue the property owner. If a kid eats cat litter, it's the manufacturer's liability for not marking it inedible. A lot of people hate this, but if we're going to be consistent, it sure seems like Apple should be liable for something they had every opportunity for checking before approving it.

That’s totally untrue. For the parking lot, you would have to be able to prove that there was something specifically wrong with the lot and not that you are just clumsy. And for the kitty litter, that theory is so ridiculous that they might countersue you for frivolous lawsuit. For Apple, I agree that they should be responsible for approving scam apps, but the software license agreements make this as difficult as possible.

Individuals absolutely do have personal responsibility for their actions, and if they didn’t, society would collapse.

 

[gnasher729]

Apple was warned multiple times about fake Trezor apps? I though all iOS apps have to be signed by the developer? Maybe it's time to make developers carry insurance against this sort of fraud? Or perhaps Apple should insure them against this kind of fraud as part of being a developer? How can it be so easy for one company to masquerade as another in the digital age? This is ridiculous.

Well, I have a DUNS and Apple has my DUNS (google for it if you don't know what it is). It's a while ago, but I think some checking was done so I could get the DUNS. Apple should in theory be able to find me if my app did something criminal.

However, if I was a criminal, I might either lie when I received that DUNS, or pay some stupid mule some money to get it and register the app in their name.

 

[QCassidy352]

Apple and this guy both failed here - either could/should have verified that this app was what it claimed to be, and they both dropped the ball. But no, Apple doesn't owe this guy the money, ultimately he's the one who chose to hand over access to $600k in assets to an app he didn't know.

 

[chandler55]

Lol, can you imagine how bad it would be if Apple did NOT pay attention at all & scammers didn’t have to go to these extreme lengths of 1st building an actual legitimate app, then surreptitiously switching it into a different function? Can you imagine how much $ people would have had robbed from them by now??

Oh… you never thought about that at all? You couldn’t care less about anyone or their potential losses? You were just looking for some low hanging fruit to make a stupid & disingenuous snark filled meaningless jab at Apple?

Gotcha. 👍🏼

maybe people would let it slide that things fall through the cracks once in a while if they werent making 20+ billions of dollars yearly from their cut of app store sales. I dont think its feasible for apple to have full time workers checking each and every app thoroughly, but they shouldn't charge a cut that pretends like they do that service

to add to this, this is why its fine for game stores like steam and xbox/sony get 30%, they are stricter and will market your game at times as well

 

[gnasher729]

Can't find Apple's terms and conditions for the app store, but for their internet services:

"Limitation of Liability
Except where prohibited by law, in no event will Apple be liable to you for any indirect, consequential, exemplary, incidental or punitive damages, including lost profits, even if Apple has been advised of the possibility of such damages.

If, notwithstanding the other provisions of these Terms of Use, Apple is found to be liable to you for any damage or loss which arises out of or is in any way connected with your use of the Site or any Content, Apple’s liability shall in no event exceed the greater of (1) the total of any subscription or similar fees with respect to any service or feature of or on the Site paid in the six months prior to the date of the initial claim made against Apple (but not including the purchase price for any Apple hardware or software products or any AppleCare or similar support program), or (2) US$100.00. Some jurisdictions do not allow limitations of liability, so the foregoing limitation may not apply to you."

I would assume that if someone commits a crime against you, then it is the criminal that is responsible for damages, and nobody else.

Apple should refund this guy his money

Whatever he paid for the app?

 

[Lihp8270]

Odd because not even Apple can stop it. In fact they approved 6,500 apps with hidden features or malicious intent in 2020 alone. Yikes!

Not a strong argument to block other app stores.

That represents approximately 1.4% of apps (based on the number of apps added between 07/2019 and 07/2020).

What we can't see is how that 6500 compares to the number of apps rejected by Apple.

However, comparing to Androids open platform where 10-24% (depending on app classification) is judged to have hidden features or be malicious (https://arxiv.org/pdf/2010.10088.pdf), the 1.4% approved certainly looks a lot smaller, and less headline grabbing than just saying 6500 apps in a year.

 

[Ethosik]

That’s the thing though, it is implausible that an App Store that has 100’s, 1000’s of app submissions every day can capture everything...so Apple needs to stop claiming their walled garden is this super safe haven. In my opinion, claiming something is something that it clearly isn’t is exactly what the scammers are doing; pretending to be something they’re not.

You can certainly claim its beneficial. They are not saying they prevent 100% of all cases. There has been proof many years that they cannot capture 100% of everything. NOTHING absolutely NOTHING can. They can still say its a safe environment.

 

[iapplelove]

I would sue the App Store.. Apple.

 

[Maximara]

There is no getting fake money back.

2 Proven Ways to Recover Scammed Bitcoin, Money Lost to Binary Options Forex says otherwise.

 

[gnasher729]

If this guy had half a brain he would have went to the Trevor site and verified they had an iOS app instead of just downloading something with the name. I trust Apple but I’m going to verify when 600k is involved

If a company or a website has an app, they usually put a link to their app on their website. Which obviously might be hacked, but it just makes it harder for a scammer.

 

[gnasher729]

If I were Apple I would reimburse this user immediately. 1 million is nothing to Apple and Epic is going to add this to their arsenal.

If I was Apple I would do nothing of that kind. He fell victim to a criminal. It's the criminal that should be ... well, let's stay kid safe here. And how is this an argument for EPIC?

 

[sh20]

2 Proven Ways to Recover Scammed Bitcoin, Money Lost to Binary Options Forex says otherwise.

literally an advert lol

 

[gnasher729]

That is easy. Hidden features that "unlock" after a certain amount of time passes. Stealth updates to include features not orgianly in game (a problem the ESRB has). There are many ways.

Companies like Epic would never do something scammy like that. Not in a million years. Wait... they did!

 

[Apple_Robert]

2 Proven Ways to Recover Scammed Bitcoin, Money Lost to Binary Options Forex says otherwise.

I should have been more clear. There is no getting money back from these crooks. The guy's bitcoin is long gone.

 

[edgonzalez32]

That this is news means that the walled garden IS protecting users from situations like this.

How.

 

[Eso]

This is actually fantastic news; this individual is going to double or triple their investment! Apple is about to make his argument for him about how they are liable. They are about to argue in one of the most prominent cases in the country why they are justified in being the sole distributor of iOS apps. They claim it is the only way to ensure a supply of safe and trusted software for users.

If that isn't true, then their argument against Epic games is defeated. If it is true, then they are liable when a user is provided an unsafe app from the app store.

 

[jonnyb098]

Please tell me what the dollar is worth? You can't eat, it it's not directly tied to any commodities (well the petrodollar system, but that's a different kettle of fish).

There are many different types of crypto currency, so the statement regarding the energy use is meaningless.
It's also not really correct for a Bitcoin transaction:

Three Myths about Bitcoin’s Energy Consumption

You’ve heard it before, “Bitcoin burns as much energy as Switzerland, so much that it will accelerate global warming by a few degrees…

blog.trezor.io

The last time I checked you can buy food with dollars. Not crypto. So what the hell are you even talking about? The fact there are so many types of crypto prove how meaningless it is unless it’s accepted everywhere on earth. Which it isn’t.

Does your paycheck come in ether or dogecoin?

 

[jimbobb24]

This is yet another shortcoming of digital currencies. There is no nation to back them, hence no sovereign to insure against losses.

Zimbabwe, Venuzula, and 1920s Germany would like to talk to you about how great nations are at handling currency.

 

[jimbobb24]

The last time I checked you can buy food with money. Not crypto. So what I’m earth are you even talking about. The fact there are so many types of crypto prove how meaningless it is unless it’s accepted everywhere on earth. Which it isn’t.

Money is magic. One day a dollar was a piece of paper and the next day it was money. Sometimes currencies stop being money when their govt messed up. Bitcoin is money and it’s magic. At one time it was not money and then it became money. I can trade Bitcoin for money and then buy food. One day Bitcoin might not be money. But it is right now.

 

[pdoherty]

This 👆👆👆

Seems like it would have been prudent for the user to perform a little due diligence before entrusting his credentials for accessing $600,000 to a free app.

Personal Capital and Mint are free apps too, but they’re legit with millions of users.

 

[Lihp8270]

The last time I checked you can buy food with dollars. Not crypto. So what the hell are you even talking about? The fact there are so many types of crypto prove how meaningless it is unless it’s accepted everywhere on earth. Which it isn’t.

Does your paycheck come in ether or dogecoin?

Can use btc on the Microsoft store. Starbucks also accept Bitcoin in places too

 

[sirdir]

Well, Apple claims they have to play gatekeeper because we're not safe otherwise. So they should take responsibility when they screw up.

 

[jonnyb098]

Money is magic. One day a dollar was a piece of paper and the next day it was money. Sometimes currencies stop being money when their govt messed up. Bitcoin is money and it’s magic. At one time it was not money and then it became money. I can trade Bitcoin for money and then buy food. One day Bitcoin might not be money. But it is right now.

Of course. Or you could just trade money for food. I still think it’s pointless until it’s accepted for real people to pay their bills, buy food , etc.
Right now it’s a dork money that is making the rich richer and as I stated earlier it’s a really good way to make dirty money clean.

the vast majority of the planet barely know what it is. People come to the US for example and make loads of money and can take that money back to their countries and love like a king or queen. The US dollar is very much worth something to many parts of the world.

 

[JJSantoro]

If he had Bitcoin. I don’t know anything but that. But wouldn’t he have already had the app install or webpage where you get the Bitcoin in the first place? Why would he then download another one?

 

[jonnyb098]

Can use btc on the Microsoft store. Starbucks also accept Bitcoin in places too

You can’t pay your bills with it. It’s a hobby right now which if it did take off and go mainstream for the rest of the planet it would take decades. Even then it’s a long shot. It’s simply not an every day means of payment.