MYETHERWALLET

DESCRIPTION OF EVENTS

"MEW (MyEtherWallet) is a free, client-side interface helping you interact with the Ethereum blockchain. Our easy-to-use, open-source platform allows you to generate wallets, interact with smart contracts, and so much more."

"Taylor Manahan and Kosala Hemachandra founded MEW (MyEtherWallet) back in 2015, not long after Ethereum was created."

"A fake app pretending to be from MyEtherWallet somehow made it through Apple’s app review process and became the third most popular finance app over the weekend." "Fake copies and replicas of cryptocurrency wallets are dangerous for investors as Lundkvist emphasized because they are capable of stealing user funds."

"At this point, it’s not clear whether the app is just trying to make money by selling a $4.99 version of open-source software, or is a scam attempting to steal ETH and other crypto coins."

"This is NOT US. We have file (sic) reports and emailed and reported. Would appreciate the communities assistance in getting these scamtards out of our lives."

"The tweet also notes that MEW (commonly used acronym for MyEtherWallet) is "Foss4lyfe," implying the company does not endorse profiting from free and open-source software (FOSS). MyEtherWallet is free to use, while the fake MyEtherWallet is being sold for $4.99."

"The app developer — who is listed is Nam Le — has three other apps with Apple, including two panda fighting games, but no history of crypto or bitcoin services […]"

"The app notes claim all keys are stored on device, but nevertheless granting an unknown developer full trust of wallet information, be it importing an existing wallet or creating a new one, is certainly ill-advised." "A digital wallet is comprised of a public address where money can be sent, and a private key known only by the owner. Le’s app claims to store keys encrypted locally on your device, but turning over your bitcoin to an unknown wallet developer with a purposely misleading name is a risky proposition to say the least."

"It's unclear whether the fake MEW app is an actual Ethereum wallet that's trying to bring in some traffic from the MEW name, or something far more nefarious. At worst, it could be stealing users' private keys and their money, and using it in any way is definitely not recommended."

"It took several days for Apple to remove [the] fake MyEtherWallet from its App Store despite it getting over 3000 downloads."

"The false MyEtherWallet app has been removed from the iOS store. Finally. Thank you a TON to everyone who signal boosted this for us, including @verge and @TechCrunch."

MyEtherWallet is one of the oldest wallets for Ethereum. On December 10th, 2017, a fake version of the application made it's way to number 3 position on the Apple app store. Not only did thousands of people download the free software and pay the $4.99 pricetag, but they may also have put their funds at risk in doing so.

In cryptoland, trust can be costly | Securelist (Jan 16)
Fake MyEtherWallet app made it to #3 in App Store finance category over weekend - 9to5Mac (Jan 18)
@myetherwallet Twitter (Jan 18)
A fake Ethereum wallet lurks in Apple's App Store (Jan 18)
@myetherwallet Twitter (Jan 18)
An unofficial version of the MyEtherWallet app is #3 on Apple’s App Store - The Verge (Jan 18)
Fake MyEtherWallet App Becomes Top 3 Finance App on Apple Store - Coin Journal (Jan 18)
Fake wallet app makes it into the top 3 finance apps on the App Store (Update) - PhoneArena (Jan 18)
Apple let a knockoff version of one of the world’s biggest crypto wallets into the App Store – TechCrunch (Jan 18)
Fake 'MyEtherWallet' App Rises to #3 Spot on the iOS App Store's Finance Charts [Updated] - MacRumors (Jan 18)
MyEtherWallet | MEW (Jan 18)
Apple Removes Fake MyEtherWallet Which Hit No. 3 on App Store (Jan 21)
Is MyEtherwallet Safe to use in 2021? [Security & Safety Info] (Jan 18)

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