Apple App Store — Systematic Fake Crypto Wallet Cluster (26 Apps, April 2026)

2017-01-01

Fake MyEtherWallet app appeared on Apple App Store — among the earliest documented fake crypto wallet incidents on the platform.

2023-01-01

Fake Trezor wallet app appeared on Apple App Store, establishing a recurring pattern of impersonation campaigns.

2024-01-01

Craig Raw, developer of Sparrow Wallet, first warned Apple about fake iOS Sparrow Wallet apps. Apple failed to remove them promptly. Fake Rabby Wallet also appeared during this period.

2024-06-01

SparkKitty malware first documented by Kaspersky, linked to Chinese-speaking operators. Campaign assessed to have begun as early as February 2024.

2025-01-01

SparkCat spyware campaign publicly uncovered; used OCR to scan iOS and Android photo galleries for crypto wallet seed phrase screenshots.

2025-05-01

Jalen Delgado downloaded fake Sparrow Wallet iOS app, losing 1.05 BTC (approximately $120,000).

2025-07-25

James Ramirez downloaded fake Sparrow Wallet iOS app, losing 7.4 BTC worth approximately $875,000. Ramirez reported the theft to Apple.

2025-08-03

Christopher Ellis downloaded fake Sparrow Wallet iOS app more than a week after Ramirez's theft report, losing approximately $840,000. Apple had not removed the app or responded to Ramirez.

2025-09-01

FakeWallet campaign assessed to have begun operating on the Apple App Store, based on malware metadata reviewed by Kaspersky.

2026-03-01

26 FakeWallet cluster apps first noticed appearing prominently in Chinese App Store search results by Kaspersky researchers.

2026-04-07

Fake Ledger Live app (developer: Leva Heal Limited) on Mac App Store begins active theft campaign. First major victim losses recorded.

2026-04-08

Largest single-day losses in Ledger Live incident: one victim loses $1.95 million in BTC, ETH, and stETH.

2026-04-09

Second-largest theft in Ledger Live incident: one victim loses $3.23 million in USDT.

2026-04-11

Third-largest theft in Ledger Live incident: one victim loses $2.08 million in USDC.

2026-04-13

Fake Ledger Live theft campaign ends. ZachXBT begins tracing stolen funds through 150+ KuCoin deposit addresses and AudiA6 mixing service.

2026-04-14

Apple removes fake Ledger Live app from the Mac App Store. Total losses confirmed at approximately $9.5 million from 50+ victims.

2026-04-20

Kaspersky publishes full FakeWallet research report by Sergey Puzan on Securelist. All 26 iOS FakeWallet apps reported to Apple. Attribution to SparkKitty stated with moderate confidence.

2026-04-20

KuCoin freezes deposit accounts implicated in laundering of stolen Ledger Live funds.

2026-06-01

Apple reverses threatened termination of Sparrow Wallet developer Craig Raw's account, restoring his ability to submit an iOS warning placeholder.

2026-07-24

Three Sparrow Wallet victims file lawsuit against Apple in the Northern District of California, seeking restitution for $1.84 million in combined Bitcoin losses.

2026-07-28

CoinDesk reports details of the Sparrow Wallet lawsuit, including allegation that Apple failed to act for over a week after the first $875,000 theft was reported.