Google Sues Over $5M Over Fraud App, Malaysia Illegal Miners & More
It took months for Google to pull the crypto scam app, the lawsuit says
It took Google three months to remove a fraudulent crypto app that stole $5 million and targeted at least six users, a Florida woman claims in a lawsuit.
Maria Vaca filed a complaint on Aug. 13 in California Superior Court in Santa Clara County — pending a jury trial — against the tech giant, alleging that Google made “false and misleading representations” about the “accuracy, safety and security” of its app. App store.
The suit is seeking $5 million in monetary damages that Vaca claims she lost in an app called Yobit Pro that presented itself as a crypto wallet but was run by cybercriminals.
Vaca said it pumped $4.6 million into the app between February and July last year. When her holdings hit $7 million, she was about to withdraw — but Yobit Pro said she had to put $500,000 in “taxes.”
Vaca sent more of the funds, but the app reiterated that it needed to post another $2 million for verification. She refused and said she soon received “messages from anonymous cybercriminals threatening to kill her if she didn't make a deposit.”
The lawsuit detailed the report in a complaint Vaca filed with the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), which it forwarded to Google the same day. Vacca came three months after Google took action, which led to at least five others having the same experience as Vacca.
In April, Google sued two people for distributing and promoting fraudulent and malicious crypto apps.
Google did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
YouTuber Ian Ballina may appeal SEC victory in SPRK token suit.
A Texas federal judge has allowed crypto YouTuber Ian Ballina to appeal his unregistered securities promotion in Sparkster (SPRK) tokens in the United States.
In an Aug. 16 order, Judge David Alan Ezra said the question of whether Balina's actions took place in the U.S. could throw the case out entirely — and eliminate the need for a trial — if an appeals court finds it took place outside the country.
“This is because the determination of whether the defendant's conduct is domestic is that the extraterritorial issues involved in these securities law violations effectively resolve the case,” the order said.
In May, Judge Ezra sided with the SEC in part over Ballina's SPRK promotions targeting US investors and in response to US securities laws.
Ballina argued in a summary judgment bid that the SEC had no activity because the sale occurred overseas, which Judge Ezra knocked back.
Malaysian Police Seize 7 Illegal Bitcoin Miners: Report
Malaysian authorities have reportedly arrested seven people suspected of operating an illegal Bitcoin (BTC) mining operation near the country's capital, Kuala Lumpur.
Local news outlet The Star reported on August 18 that police in Sepang district, south of Kuala Lumpur, seized 52 bitcoin mining rigs, along with vehicles, laptops and mobile phones worth a total of about $57,000 (250,000 Malaysian ringgit).
Related: Crypto mixer founder argues 30-year prison sentence ‘unwarranted'
Three Malaysians aged between 30 and 74 and four foreigners were arrested.
Sepang District Police Chief Wan Kamarul Azran Wan Yusof said all those arrested had “no previous criminal records” and that the police action was “aimed at identifying illegal Bitcoin mining operations involving electricity theft”.
Other news
Norway's sovereign wealth fund has indirectly increased its bitcoin exposure to $144 million, but K33 Research senior analyst Vettel Lunde said it “doesn't stem from a deliberate choice to accumulate exposure.”
The US Marshals Service is selling Bitcoin from the online black market Silk Road, which was shut down on August 15 after 10,000 BTC worth more than $593 million was moved, according to financial attorney Scott Johnson.
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