A fake version of Ledger Live distributed through Apple’s App Store has been linked to at least $9.5 million in cryptocurrency theft, with victims now describing devastating losses, including entire retirement funds wiped out “in an instant.”
One victim, who posted on
“I lost my retirement fund in a hack/scam… All my BTC was gone in an instant,” he wrote.
Blockchain researcher ZachXBT then traced the stolen 5.92 BTC, showing that they were quickly funneled through a series of transactions to KuCoin deposit addresses, consistent with a broader laundering pattern identified throughout the incident.
Apple and KuCoin did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
9.5 million dollars stolen through chains
User X @glove was not the only victim. The phishing campaign, active between April 7 and 13, affected more than 50 suspected victims on Bitcoin, Ethereum-compatible networks, Tron, Solana, and XRP.
Three of the largest victims lost seven-figure sums: $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 prompt victims to enter their recovery phrase into an app, giving attackers full access to their wallets.
Laundering through KuCoin and ‘AudiA6’
The stolen funds were funneled through more than 150 KuCoin deposit addresses and linked to “AudiA6,” a centralized cryptocurrency mixing service known for charging high fees to conceal illicit flows.
The reliance on a centralized exchange as a washing hub is notable given KuCoin’s recent regulatory issues. The exchange was banned from onboarding new EU users by Austrian regulators in February 2026, just months after receiving a MiCA license, and previously paid more than $300 million to US authorities to resolve anti-money laundering violations in 2025.
App Store Scrutiny
Apple has 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 magnitude of the losses, coupled with the fact that the app was distributed through Apple’s official marketplace, could expose the company to legal risks, and ZachXBT suggests that the incident may form the basis for a class-action lawsuit.
Growing threat
The incident highlights a persistent threat that has plagued the crypto industry in recent years. In 2025, cryptocurrency investors lost around $17 billion due 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.”
