A fake version of Ledger Live distributed via Apple’s App Store has been linked to at least $9.5 million in crypto theft, with victims now coming forward to describe devastating losses, including entire retirement funds wiped out “in an instant.”
One victim, who wrote at X under the handle @glove, said he lost 5.9 BTC — his entire savings accumulated over a decade — after downloading what he thought was the official Ledger app while setting up a new computer.
“I lost my pension fund in a hack/scam … All my BTC disappeared in an instant,” he wrote.
Blockchain investigator ZachXBT later tracked the stolen 5.92 BTC, showing it was quickly routed through a series of transactions to KuCoin deposit addresses, consistent with a broader money laundering pattern identified across the incident.
Apple and KuCoin did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
$9.5 million stolen across chains
X-user @glove wasn’t the only victim. The phishing campaign, which was active between April 7 and April 13, affected more than 50 suspected victims across Bitcoin, Ethereum compatible networks, Tron, Solana and XRP.
Three of the biggest victims lost seven-figure sums, with $3.23 million in USDT stolen on April 9, $2.08 million in USDC on April 11, and $1.95 million in BTC, ETH, and stETH drained on April 8.
Cases like this typically ask victims to enter their recovery phrase on an app, giving attackers full access to their wallets.
Money laundering via KuCoin and ‘AudiA6’
Stolen funds were routed through more than 150 KuCoin deposit addresses and linked to “AudiA6,” a centralized crypto-mixing service known for charging high fees to obfuscate illicit flows.
The reliance on a centralized exchange as a hub for money laundering is notable given KuCoin’s recent regulatory woes. The exchange was barred from onboarding new EU users by Austrian regulators in February 2026, just months after receiving a MiCA license, and previously paid over $300 million to US authorities to settle money laundering violations in 2025.
App Store review
Apple removed the fake Ledger Live app from the App Store, but questions remain about how it passed the review and how long it was available.
The scale of losses, combined with the fact that the app was distributed through Apple’s official marketplace, could expose the company to legal risk, with ZachXBT suggesting that the incident could form the basis of a class action lawsuit.
Rising threat
The incident highlights an ongoing threat that has marred the crypto industry over the past few years. By 2025, crypto investors lost around $17 billion to hacks and scams, with social engineering and phishing tactics leading the way in terms of attack vectors.
For the victims, the damage has already been done.
“I worked ten years for this,” the victim wrote. “Be careful out there.”
