A fraudulent app imitating Curve’s branding was found to be charting on the Apple Store on October 26.
A fake Curve Finance app appeared on the Apple Store over the weekend to trick unsuspecting users into downloading it and scamming their assets. The app, named “Curve defi v3,” is listed by Tao Duong Van and previously had multiple one-star reviews calling it fake. Many users have used terms like “scam” and “hacker” to warn others. However, the reviews have now disappeared, and the app is still up.
It also made it into the top 100 finance apps on the Apple Store. The app was trending in regions like Europe, Latin America, New Zealand, Southeast Asia, and the United States. While not much effort has been put into making it look authentic, except for the identical logo and the name, users could still fall for it, considering Curve’s popularity.
The app’s description seems to have been written without much thought by the cybercriminal(s) behind it, reading, “Curve defi v3 is an amazing app. Arrange the blocks to make a perfect row and clear it!” The screenshots section shows images with, again, poorly written feature descriptions. One of the screenshots mentions “Trust by 30 Millions Global Users.” Another mentioned “Instant Swaps” as a feature for over 250,000 tokens.
The fake app is designed to lure users in and connect their wallets, which, if done, would drain all their assets. Crypto drainers have become a significant threat in the industry, with numerous attacks exploiting users via fake apps and websites and stealing their funds.
Indian fintech engineer working in the cybersecurity space, Babu Pooniawalla, was among the first to warn users about the issue. He took to X to say, “Attention @CurveFinance and users: a scam app impersonating Curve is trending in the top 100 finance apps across Europe, LATAM, New Zealand, USA and Southeast Asia.” Pooniawalla added, “‘Never Trust, Always Verify’ is the best way to protect yourself from potential fraud and scams. Stay vigilant and report suspicious apps!”
Not the First Time
Scammers have also taken advantage of Curve’s likeness to trick users. The platform warned users of an instance in February when a fake app made its rounds on the Apple Store through an X post. “There is no DeFi “Curve App” on @Apple App Store, but a fake with our logo was spotted!”
