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Fake Sparrow Wallet (Apple App Store)

avoid.net/fake-sparrow-wallet-apple-app-store→0/100·92% conf.
[AI-DRAFTED · AWAITING VERIFICATION]

Summary

A fraudulent iOS application impersonating Sparrow Wallet — a legitimate Bitcoin wallet that has no official iOS release — passed Apple's App Store review process and operated on the platform between at least May and August 2025, draining a combined $1.84 million in Bitcoin from three victims by capturing their seed phrases. Three plaintiffs filed a federal lawsuit against Apple on July 24, 2026 in the Northern District of California, case 5:26-cv-07713, alleging negligence, fraudulent misrepresentation, and strict products liability; the actual perpetrators behind the fraudulent app remain unidentified.

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    Timeline(8 events)

    2024-01-06

    Sparrow Wallet creator Craig Raw publicly warned on X that a fake Sparrow Wallet app remained on Apple's App Store despite weeks of reports from himself and others.

    CryptoSlate

    2025-05-01

    Plaintiff Jalen Delgado downloaded the fraudulent Sparrow Wallet app from the Apple App Store and lost approximately 1.05 BTC (~$120,000) after entering his seed phrase.

    CoinDesk

    2025-07-25

    Plaintiff James Ramirez downloaded the fraudulent app and lost approximately 7.4 BTC (~$875,000). Ramirez reported the fraudulent app and his loss to Apple the same day.

    Decrypt

    2025-08-03

    Plaintiff Christopher Ellis downloaded a Sparrow Wallet app from the App Store — nine days after Ramirez's theft report to Apple — and lost approximately $840,000 in Bitcoin.

    Crypto Times

    2026-06-01

    Apple reversed its earlier decision to terminate Craig Raw's developer account, which had been flagged after Raw submitted a placeholder iOS app warning users that Sparrow Wallet has no official mobile release.

    MacRumors

    2026-07-24

    James Ramirez, Christopher Ellis, and Jalen Delgado filed a 54-page federal complaint against Apple in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California, case 5:26-cv-07713, bringing eight counts including fraud, negligent misrepresentation, and strict products liability.

    Decrypt

    2026-07-27

    Apple stated publicly that there are currently no Sparrow Wallet copycats on the App Store and that it had removed impersonating apps and terminated associated developer accounts. Apple did not disclose the removal date.

    MacRumors

    2026-07-27

    TechCrunch, 9to5Mac, Decrypt, CoinDesk, and other outlets reported on the lawsuit; Apple declined to comment on the litigation itself.

    TechCrunch
    Provenance & Audit Trail
    13 Wayback Archives

    Decision Log

    • #1publish⛓ pending8/10/2026, 5:19:40 PM
      hash: 7pdWNb9RXru3gJ8m3XDA76tgj3zEedTt7nKPuKLwzS76

    13 of 14 cited source URLs have an Internet Archive snapshot.

    full audit log →version history →

    model: claude-sonnet-4-6

    generated: 8/10/2026, 5:19:20 PM

    last updated: 8/10/2026, 8:59:20 PM

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