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Apple Removes Fake ‘Ledger Live’ From Mac App Store After $9.5 Million Theft

The parallel takedown of Freecash signals gaps in App Store screening that let high‑risk apps pass review.

Overview

  • More than 50 people were duped into entering wallet recovery phrases in the counterfeit app between April 7 and April 13, which led to funds being drained across Bitcoin, Ethereum, Solana, Tron, and XRP.
  • Blockchain investigator ZachXBT traced about $9.5 million through intermediary wallets into over 150 KuCoin deposit addresses before the money moved to the AudiA6 mixing service, making recovery harder.
  • Apple removed the fake listing after reports surfaced, and neither Apple nor KuCoin provided comment in the coverage, with no stolen crypto reported as recovered.
  • The app mimicked Ledger’s branding, showed positive reviews, and listed “SAS Software Company” and publisher “Leva Heal Limited,” while real Ledger software never asks for a 24‑word seed and is downloaded from Ledger’s site.
  • Separately, Apple pulled Freecash after reports said it used misleading marketing to harvest sensitive personal data, and investigators noted that banned apps can return under different developer accounts.