Google Platform Exploited by Scammers to Push Phishing Site

Crypto News– Google seems to be unwittingly promoting a malicious crypto website that leads users to a phishing clone, siphoning off their crypto via Google Ads. BleepingComputer reported that scammers found a way to advertise a fake version of Whales Market, an OTC crypto platform, atop Google search results.

Google Platform Exploited by Scammers to Push Phishing Site

Cointelegraph confirmed Google’s endorsement of the counterfeit Whales Market ad. Despite showing a seemingly legitimate domain on search results, users are redirected to [www.whaels.market] instead of the genuine [www.whales.market] upon clicking.

BleepingComputer also highlights that the malicious actors have apparently registered several domains imitating Whales Market, such as [www.whaless.market], which is already inactive.

The counterfeit version mirrors the interface of the legitimate Whales Market site, tricking users into linking their digital wallets. Yet, upon doing so, malicious scripts kick in, siphoning crypto from victims’ wallets.

This occurrence adds to a series of similar events where scammers leveraged Google’s platform to promote deceitful services.

For instance, an unidentified hacker drained nearly $900,000 worth of crypto from one of the hot wallets owned by billionaire investor and Dallas Mavericks owner, Mark Cuban.

In December 2023, scammers employed a wallet-draining service dubbed MS Drainer to siphon approximately $59 million in crypto from victims over nine months.

Utilizing Google Ads, scammers targeted victims with counterfeit versions of popular crypto platforms like Zapper, Lido, Stargate, DefiLlama, Orbiter Finance, and Radient.

While the perpetrators of this recent phishing campaign remain unidentified, Google seems to be taking action against such scams.

In April, Google filed a lawsuit against Chinese nationals Yunfeng Sun and Hongnam Cheung for duping individuals with fake crypto investments via the Google Play store.