A Florida resident identified as Maria Vaca has slammed Google with a lawsuit after losing over $5 million to a scam app floated on the Google Play Store. According to the lawsuit, Google allegedly took over three months to take down the scam app from its store. That is, after receiving the complaints that its platform was being used to promote scam activities.
The lawsuit details how Vaca, through the period of February and July 2023, believed she was profiting off the market when she invested in about $4.6 million worth of cryptocurrency through the Yobit Pro app. According to her, she had no reasons to doubt anything because she thought that a company as prominent as Google was doing everything to ensure that scam apps have no place on its platform.
Her confidence, however, soon grew thin when her balance on the Yobit Pro app showed around $7 million. At this time, Vaca attempted to withdraw the funds, but was met with the unexpected. She was told to deposit another $500,000 being tax payment for her intended withdrawal. She obliged and made the additional deposit but her withdrawal efforts remained futile.
Finally, Vaca realized her status as a potential victim of a scam when she was asked to pay an additional $2 million by the app. She also got death threats from the unidentified cyber-criminals to pay the additional ransom, which finally led her to the authorities.
Google Sued for Allowing Crypto Scam App on Its Store
Upon receiving Vaca’s complaint, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) forwarded the same to Google on the same day. Now, Vaca is suing Google in the state of California. However, Google’s attorneys have requested that the case be moved to the United States District Court for the Northern District of California) for at least $5 million in damages, reflecting Vaca’s loss. A part of the lawsuit also claimed that numerous other victims exist. An excerpt from the suit reads:
“Apparently, approximately 12,759 other Android device users installed Yobit Pro on their devices via Google Play, and at least five (5) of them had similar experiences to that of [Vaca].”
Rising Number of Cases
Google is not exactly oblivious of the fact that fraudulent crypto apps somehow make their way onto the Google Play store some times. In April, the firm sued two developers who helped to get 87 fraudulent apps approved on the platform that would later affect over 100,000 people and at least 8,700 U.S. residents.
Although Yobit Pro wasn’t included in Google’s lawsuit, the same tactics employed by the apps in the lawsuit appear.
Without a doubt, Google’s reputation continues to hang in the balance. Moreso with the rising cases of crypto scam apps on its app store, dealing a blow to the integrity of its apps.
