Nearly $600,000 in Bitcoin (BTC) has been stolen from customers who downloaded a pretend Ledger Dwell utility on Microsoft’s app retailer, according to cryptocurrency sleuth ZachXBT.

The on-chain analyst noticed the rip-off, “Ledger Dwell Web3” on Nov. 5, which is tricking customers into considering that they’re downloading “Ledger Dwell” — a person interface for Ledger {hardware} wallets to retailer cryptocurrency offline.

Roughly 16.8 BTC price $588,000 has been acquired by the scammer throughout 38 transactions utilizing pockets tackle, “bc1q….y64q,” in response to Blockchain.com. About $115,200 has left the scammer’s pockets throughout two transactions, leaving it with $473,800 or 13.5 BTC.

In a observe up put up, ZachXBT famous that Microsoft could have eliminated the pretend Ledger Dwell app from its platform.

The primary transaction despatched to the scammer’s pockets tackle passed off on Oct. 24, price $5,210. Previous to that, the pockets hadn’t been used. Most of those transactions have taken place since Nov. 2, with the biggest switch totaling $81,200 on Nov. 4.

A search by Cointelegraph discovered the pretend “Ledger Dwell Web3” utility appeared in Microsoft’s app retailer as early as Oct. 19.

The pretend “Ledger Dwell Web3” app on Microsoft Apps. Supply: Microsoft

ZachXBT stated they’ve acquired two messages from victims on Nov. 4 and even argued that Microsoft “ought to be held liable” for permitting the pretend Ledger Dwell app to look in its app retailer.

Associated: Ledger {hardware} pockets rolls out cloud-based non-public key restoration software

It isn’t the primary time a pretend Ledger Dwell app has made its method into Microsoft’s app retailer both.

Ledger’s help account on X (previously Twitter) knowledgeable its customers a couple of pretend Ledger Dwell app on two separate events in December and March.

Ledger hasn’t commented on the rip-off however has beforehand iterated to customers that the “solely secure place” to obtain Ledger Dwell is from its web site, ledger.com.

Cointelegraph reached out to Microsoft for remark however didn’t obtain an instantaneous response.

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