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Tech giant Google is taking legal action against two Chinese nationals for allegedly defrauding users through fake cryptocurrency apps.
Halimah DeLaine Prado, Google's general counsel, who filed
the lawsuit on Thursday, in the Southern District of New York, accuses Yunfeng Sun and Hongnam Cheung of creating and distributing a network of 87 fraudulent apps on the Google Play Store.
Google said these apps masqueraded as legitimate cryptocurrency investment and exchange platforms.
Throughout what may have been several years, the scam lured more than 100,000 users worldwide to download the apps.
Google alleges that Sun and Cheung used the apps to deceive users and steal significant amounts of cryptocurrency.
“We are committed to protecting our users from harm,” said Halimah.
This lawsuit demonstrates our resolve to fight fraudulent activity within the cryptocurrency space,” said Halimah.
The lawsuit details a scheme where Sun and Cheung employed social engineering tactics to promote the apps.
Google has removed all 87 fraudulent apps from the Play Store. The lawsuit seeks unspecified financial damages and a permanent injunction to prevent Sun and Cheung from engaging in further fraudulent activity.
Google advises users to exercise caution when downloading any app, especially those related to cryptocurrency.
