Apple sued after alleged App Store crypto scam cost users $1.8M
Apple sued after alleged App Store crypto scam cost users $1.8M
苹果因 App Store 加密货币诈骗致用户损失 180 万美元而遭起诉
Apple is being sued for alleged negligence regarding its App Store security measures. In a lawsuit filed on Friday in the U.S. District Court of Northern California, three plaintiffs claim they were tricked into downloading and installing a fraudulent crypto wallet app, leading them to collectively lose more than $1.8 million. 苹果公司因其 App Store 安全措施涉嫌疏忽而遭到起诉。在上周五提交至美国加利福尼亚北区联邦地区法院的一份诉讼中，三名原告声称他们被诱导下载并安装了一款虚假的加密货币钱包应用，导致他们总计损失超过 180 万美元。
The lawsuit centers on Apple’s claim that it secures its App Store by reviewing apps before they go live to protect users from fraudulent and malicious apps. In this case, the plaintiffs downloaded an app called Sparrow Wallet, even though the official Sparrow Bitcoin wallet is not available on iOS. The plaintiffs transferred their Bitcoin to the fraudulent app, losing large amounts of the virtual currency, according to the complaint. Plaintiff James Ramirez lost about $875,000; plaintiff Christopher Ellis lost around $840,000, and plaintiff Jalen Delgado lost roughly $120,000. 该诉讼的核心在于苹果公司的一贯主张：即通过在应用上架前进行审核来保护用户免受欺诈和恶意应用的侵害，从而确保 App Store 的安全。在本案中，原告下载了一款名为“Sparrow Wallet”的应用，尽管官方的 Sparrow 比特币钱包并未在 iOS 上架。根据诉状，原告将他们的比特币转入该虚假应用，导致大量虚拟货币损失。原告 James Ramirez 损失约 87.5 万美元；Christopher Ellis 损失约 84 万美元；Jalen Delgado 损失约 12 万美元。
The complaint targets one of Apple’s longtime competitive arguments: that its tight control over its App Store makes its platform safer than those offered by its rivals. The company has used this claim to push back against deregulation of the app ecosystem, including third-party app stores and sideloading. 该诉状针对苹果公司长期以来的竞争论点之一：即其对 App Store 的严格控制使其平台比竞争对手的平台更安全。苹果公司一直利用这一论点来抵制应用生态系统的去监管化，包括反对第三方应用商店和侧载（sideloading）。
“As part of a sustained marketing campaign, Apple has positioned itself, its products and services, as offering a level of security and trustworthiness superior to any competing technology company,” the new filing states. “This includes assurances about the safety of applications distributed through its App Store. By retaining exclusive control over which apps are permitted on Apple devices, Apple has structured its platform to ensure that consumers depend entirely on its promise of safety and reliability,” it reads. “作为持续营销活动的一部分，苹果将自身及其产品和服务定位为提供优于任何竞争科技公司的安全性和可信度，”新提交的文件指出。“这包括对通过其 App Store 分发的应用安全性的保证。通过保留对哪些应用被允许在苹果设备上运行的独家控制权，苹果构建了其平台，以确保消费者完全依赖其对安全性和可靠性的承诺。”
The complaint also accuses Apple of knowingly hosting fraudulent apps, pointing to public criticism by Sparrow Bitcoin Wallet’s creator, Craig Raw, who said Apple had allowed fake Sparrow Wallet apps to remain on the App Store. The three are asking for a trial by jury and seek to recoup their lost money and other damages. They also want Apple to provide warnings and disclosures about the App Store’s risks. 诉状还指控苹果明知故犯地托管欺诈性应用，并引用了 Sparrow 比特币钱包创始人 Craig Raw 的公开批评，他曾表示苹果允许虚假的 Sparrow Wallet 应用留在 App Store 中。这三名原告要求进行陪审团审判，并寻求追回损失的资金及其他赔偿。他们还要求苹果就 App Store 的风险提供警告和披露。
Apple declined to comment on the lawsuit. The company did stand behind its security measures, telling TechCrunch that apps impersonating others are a violation of its guidelines and it takes swift action to remove them. Apple added that there are currently no Sparrow Wallet copycats on the App Store. The company also pointed to its latest analysis of its ecosystem, which found that in 2025 it rejected more than 371,000 submissions that copied other apps, were spam, or otherwise misled users. 苹果拒绝就此诉讼发表评论。该公司坚持其安全措施，并向 TechCrunch 表示，冒充他人的应用违反了其准则，公司会迅速采取行动将其删除。苹果补充称，目前 App Store 上没有 Sparrow Wallet 的仿冒品。该公司还指出，根据其对生态系统的最新分析，2025 年其拒绝了超过 37.1 万份申请，这些申请涉及抄袭其他应用、垃圾信息或以其他方式误导用户。