Google Fights Back, Charges Alleged Cryptocurrency Scammers to Court
Google filed a complaint against a group of individuals who it presumed were cryptocurrency scammers. The tech giant claimed that they misled more than a hundred thousand people from different parts of the globe through the distribution of fake investments and cryptocurrency exchange apps in Google Play.
Google’s case aims to present itself as a pioneer in the field of combating crypto scams and establish legal precedents to protect users from such fraudulent activities.
Per the filing, the tech giant alleged that the defendants, Yunfeng Sun and Hongnam Cheung, made several personas including false location and identity. They also misrepresented the type and nature of the application they uploaded to Google Play.
Google Explains Court Filing
Both individuals are appearing before the court under the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) act for civil claims and breach of contract. As per the documents, the prosecutors claimed that both persons started their schemes in 2019.
Google says that the offenders developed and distributed at least 87 deceitful apps to deceive the users. They created this software to look genuine while luring victims with promises of high returns on investment. Specially crafted to show fake balance, unsuspecting individuals fail to realize the scheme. The alleged scammer pull the plugs and cart away with users’ funds.
Halimah DeLaine Prado, Google’s general counsel, explained that the lawsuit seeks to thwart large-scale crypto schemes and prevent users’ losses, with cryptocurrency fraud and scams costing U.S. citizens more than a billion dollars in 2023 alone.
They used many different ways of inviting victims such as text messages, promotional videos on social media and affiliate marketing campaigns.
Furthermore, Google is suing the defendants for damages of over $75,000 and for a permanent injunction against the defendants and the people who help them create new Google accounts and access Google services
One of the Fraudulent Apps in Focus
The highlighted fraudulent apps like TionRT, represented as a cryptocurrency exchange platform.
The fraudsters, on the other hand, lured their victims into downloading the app through text messages and social media platforms, promising them handsome rewards.
The complaints of the users regarding withdrawal issues were left unanswered, at one point the website ceased to be functional.
The rogue developers were removed from the platform following complaints from the users who were unable to withdraw their funds.
Google tried its best to get rid of these applications, but the scammers would come back by creating new ones, using different tricks that would make them impossible to identify.
