Fake crypto ads on Google continue to steal $400K through phishing sites

ChainCatcher report: On Monday, on-chain analyst “b-block” posted on a social media platform that a counterfeit Uniswap website is stealing funds from multiple wallets, with the scammer’s held assets exceeding $400,000. Stacy Muur, founder of Web3 marketing agency Green Dots, shared screenshots of fake sponsored search results, criticizing Google for years of inaction that has allowed fraudulent links to rank above legitimate ones, leading to ongoing user losses. According to Etherscan data, the two flagged addresses hold approximately 146 ETH, valued at around $306,000. DeFiLlama noted that fake ads on Google are a common source of phishing attacks. The加密非营利组织 Security Alliance (SEAL) reported in April that phishing activity on Google searches surged significantly in March, with attackers using paid or compromised legitimate ad accounts to deploy highly deceptive ads that bypass Google’s automated checks by using seemingly legitimate URLs and loading malicious payloads via hidden iframes. SEAL has blocked over 356 malicious ad links and stated that for over a year, attackers have consistently deployed a stable volume of Google ads weekly, with no signs of slowdown. Reported losses between March 13 and March 30 alone totaled $1.27 million. Additionally, earlier this month, a malicious ad campaign targeting Mac users emerged, leveraging Google ads and shared chats with the AI chatbot Claude. Malwarebytes also reported that Facebook remains a major hub for fake ads and scams.