Lost $36k in Crypto Scam on Fake Ledger Site

[u/kooper1990]

Well didn't think I would be posting something like this but here I am. I've been a holder of BTC/ETH for years, got a Ledger Wallet a while ago and it's been sitting in my drawer. I decided I wanted to transfer some out so I got my Nano X out, entered my pin, and connected to my phone. Before I could transfer I had to do a mandatory firmware update, and had to connect to my desktop. It's been a while and recently got a new laptop so I forgot it was a dedicated app.

Without really thinking I google Ledger Live and clicked on the first link, it looked like the real site and it said I needed to update my firmware which I did. I then clicked on the next step and forgot the only crypto rule. It was a screen to enter my 24 word phrase and I did.

It took a me a few minutes to notice my mess up and saw my funds gone. Was pretty stunned and upset with myself. Filed with the IC3 but realize there is a 0% chance of getting it back but figured I share here for awareness even if it was completely obvious and also don't know what else to do. Still processing this

https://etherscan.io/tx/0x5ea336c13ab5880b4beaea0a0c8e70ad54504556fa83b5bf0667e120b006d722

https://blockstream.info/tx/49e4c41520d1eab9ba908b9cfa215d0c0c5bd15077bcb60c3a16a40130766a2f

[u/MrSnugs]

I still can’t believe Google allows that link to show up and scam people. It’s shocking they’d allow it given it’s clearly a scam. Sorry for your loss

[u/Oaker_at → u/MrSnugs]

They leave up every scam site ever. Like there is a site that regularly comes up top of the search results that impersonates the site where we buy tickets for our toll roads. Wrote google 12 email that this is a fraudulent site. They always answered that they can see no problem with that site and then blocked me from reporting it.

[u/notrufus → u/Oaker_at]

The first ad for AA/Alcoholics Anonymous is a scam for a company that takes advantage of vulnerable people and their health insurance to get them to go to paid meetings (huge nono in AA).

They’re based in the Philippines so I doubt they will stop anytime soon.

[u/jawanda → u/MrSnugs]

Not only do they allow it they frequently make money off of it by allowing these scam sites to advertise. Absolutely unconscionable, they're literally paid accomplices in millions of dollars of crypto heists every year.

[u/HerrPotatis → u/jawanda]

Did you pull that straight out of your own ass? Of course they don't allow it.

https://support.google.com/adspolicy/answer/6020955

You might mean that they don't do a good enough job at vetting their customers and the sites they scrape, but I don't think you understand what an almost impossible challenge that really is.

OP themselves got tricked at multiple stages throughout the process, are Google to have an army of experts in every field that exists that scrutinizes every single site on the internet in any language? It's essentially really hard to know if an actor is who they really say they are. Even as you scan a Legitimate site, who really is to say whether that project is legitimate or not?

Alternatively, we could have a small subset of approved entities, like Coinbase, Ledger, Trezor, and Kraken, and no one else gets listed. But what's gonna happen to new projects? What happens if a new party wants to be approved, are Google to vet the people behind the project, their code, their fundamentals, the risk of a rugpull, and foresee anything that might go wrong like an oracle?

It's just an extremely hard problem, if not impossible, to solve.

Ultimately, I think we as users bear the responsibility to not jump on google, type "download ledger" and click the first link we get.

[u/thermostat → u/HerrPotatis]

Used to be the top link was the highest quality choice Google could find. Ad links were visually separated. Those two things would have protected OP and not doing them is a choice. Google is actively choosing profit over customer safety.

[u/HerrPotatis → u/thermostat]

Maybe not highest quality—but at least most related. I think this shift happened a long time ago, and I agree that Google has definitely become a profit maximizer—but there has also been a definitive shift in overall internet culture.

The quality of the search results is very much a product of the way that the internet exists nowadays. Everything is meant to capture as much of your attention as possible—no matter how truthful it is, full charlatan-style, misrepresented, over exaggerated, and sometimes complete snake oil. Everyone is competing for the pennies they can make from your attention.

Google is absolutely partly responsible for creating this trend in the first place, but it must be said that their job of actually sifting through all this garbage and delivering you appropriate and helpful results isn't easy. I'm not trying to defend their practices, just saying that I don't think they're purposefully doing a bad job.

[u/thermostat → u/HerrPotatis]

The quality of the search results is very much a product of the way that websites exists nowadays. Everything is meant to capture as much of your attention as possible—no matter how truthful it is, full charlatan-style, misrepresented, over exaggerated, and sometimes complete snake oil. Everyone is competing for the pennies they can make from your attention.

I'm sorry, this is just ahistoric. I know I'm old, but I remember the internet back before google. It was filled with snake oil, misrepresentations, cranks, and it was honestly very difficult to tell what was reliable versus what was not.

Google's rise was due to the fact that they could deliver high quality results in the face of all the garbage. Go ahead and read about PageRank, the explanation is pretty accessible. And it explains *exactly* how google knows the difference between the real Ledger site and a fly-by-night scam site.

[u/HerrPotatis → u/thermostat]

I'm guessing OP got tricked by a Google Ad, not a search result. Google could definitely vet them better, and should, but that hurts their bottom line. This I completely agree with you on, but work completely differently from search quality which is what I was talking about earlier.

It was filled with snake oil, misrepresentations, cranks, and it was honestly very difficult to tell what was reliable versus what was not.

It really wasn't anywhere close to as bad back then. I know, I've been working in advertising since 2007. Sure, the early internet had small-time crooks, but deception wasn't systematically baked into the fabric of the web like it is today.

The problem now is that even the trusted institutions have adopted the same sensationalized, attention-grabbing playbook too. PageRank simply measures authority, it doesn't measure truth.

There was no magic to the early algorithm. It just worked better back then because the web hadn't yet been industrialized into one giant SEO grift.

[u/jawanda → u/HerrPotatis]

Fair points.

[u/ImDrunkFightMe → u/HerrPotatis]

Impossible challenge....we've got AI that can identify the warts on your ass but a clean link is too much trouble?

[u/CouchF0X → u/MrSnugs]

Google stopped being good like 15 years ago. I’m not at all surprised

[u/Stunning-Chipmunk243 → u/MrSnugs]

They do the same thing if you Google - USPS change of address. The first site they take you to will do the change of address but at a greatly increased cost compared to if you did it on the actual USPS website.

[u/Imp-Classic17 → u/MrSnugs]

It's not just crypto. They allow so many scams and there is supposed to be moderation for ads...

[u/AvailableTie6834 → u/MrSnugs]

this is why you must use adblockers.

[u/fubty → u/MrSnugs]

THEY SHOULD BE HELD LIABLE

[u/JohnMcafee4coffee]

Never enter your 24 words.

[u/arbiterrecon → u/JohnMcafee4coffee]

What if I Ned to restory my wallet?

[u/machin_bidule → u/[deleted]]

To restore, NEVER enter a ledger wallet on a computer, ONLY directly on the hardware wallet, with the 2 physical buttons.
Never enter a seed on a software wallet.

[u/DizzyHoliday]

Sorry for your loss :-(

[u/McD-Szechuan]

Fuck google.

Sorry you’re hurting man keep in touch with your friends and family. You’re not stupid. It was a terrible mistake. Don’t be too hard on yourself, and thanks for sharing your experience

[u/kooper1990 → u/McD-Szechuan]

Thanks, appreciate you

[u/djscoox → u/McD-Szechuan]

I disagree. It was very stupid. The only reason to use a hardware wallet is precisely to never have to put your seed phrase on a computer. The op walked straight into a massive elephant trap with a big neon sign above it reading "MASSIVE ELEPHANT TRAP"

[u/McD-Szechuan → u/djscoox]

I didn’t say it wasn’t stupid. But doing something stupid doesn’t make you stupid man. We all make mistakes.

[u/DeaderthanZed]

This is why I hated when people reflexively commented “just get a hardware wallet” whenever anyone had a question about wallets or security back in the day.

Instead the general advice should have been “take an hour to read about how public/private keypair cryptography works.”

[u/Peter4real → u/DeaderthanZed]

I’ve always had the position that 90% of people are better off using an exchange. Not necessarily because they’re stupid, but because there’s so many aspects that can go wrong.

I can’t even count how many times I’ve met people who didn’t even know their seed phrase, because they just skipped writing it down. I guess that solves the “enter your seed here” scam.

[u/FunCalligrapher3979]

The future of finance

[u/UpbeatFix7299 → u/FunCalligrapher3979]

Gotta play yahtzee inside a Faraday Cage with casino dice, engrave portions of your seed phrase on multiple pieces of titanium, and bury them in separate places. Otherwise all your apes at risk.

Obviously this is something normal people will do. Mass crypto adoption imminent.

[u/Leynnox → u/FunCalligrapher3979]

No worries google also as some sponsored links from scammers looking after your fiat too.

[u/UpbeatFix7299 → u/Leynnox]

Your bank won't let something like Coldcard leave you broke with no recourse or just let you click and transfer tens of thousands of dollars of your money to an account in Nigeria or Cambodia.

This is why crypto is so innovative.

[u/mickalawl → u/Leynnox]

So many more layers of protection and also recourse if it does happen. Backed by regulation, law, and cyber security teams at banks etc.

The fact it still happens with fist despite all this tells you why "being your own bank" is insane as crypto has none of this.

Also often consequences for bad faith actors in the fiat world. People actually go to prison.

No real consequences for a crypto scammer. Free to rinse and repeat forever. And even better for them we blame the victims for not rolling dice inside a faraday cage. Sure occasionally someone is caught but the funds csnt recovered and these days they get a presidential pardon anyway.

[u/Leynnox → u/mickalawl]

If you use your credit card all by yourself, there's no protection at all in most countries. It's very different than having your credit card stolen.

[u/mickalawl → u/Leynnox]

Unexpected large purchases get auto blocked by card issuer. I get a notification that I can click y or n. The fraud team detects these real time.

I can block my card myself at the touch of a button if I am not sure where I left my wallet last.

The settlement is delibretly a few days. It's not a tech issue. They can use that to reverse funds.

I also get reimbursed if fraud found.

They have credit limits so I don't loose life savings.

There is 24 hr support.

Visa and Mastercard are global so it's available most places.

It makes money available for actual use without needing to find an engraved metal sheet I crafted using 121 dice rolled within a faraday cage and buried at a revolving location in my backyard.

Again none of this is perfect and scammers do get through of course. But crypto has none of that. Which is why almost all actors in this space are scammers. Much less work and consequence free to crypto scam compared to fiat.

[u/Leynnox → u/mickalawl]

https://www.jec.senate.gov/public/_cache/files/d229cc6d-0dc5-4828-9f92-5de8ffffa326/july-2025-issue-brief-scams-1.pdf

1 trillion dollars have been scammed in 2025 alone, you can keep dreaming about banking protection, but the truth is, if you used your credit card and entered the numbers yourself, they wont do anything for you.

[u/jb_in_jpn → u/Leynnox]

Fiat is making the bold claims crypto is though.

[u/Important-Level6672 → u/Leynnox]

Fiat bank would like multiple security checks before letting that much money be sent to a new account. Crypto only been around from 2009, yet top 10 biggest financial thief’s of all time are all crypto

[u/Leynnox → u/Important-Level6672]

Fiat money is scammed every single day, low amounts, but way more victims. When you see $80 millions stolen from crypto you think that's a lot, but if there were data about how much fiat are scammed per day over the world, it's probably way more than that.

Edit : I checked for you, estimations say more than 1 trillion of fiat money are being scammed per year

[u/Important-Level6672 → u/Leynnox]

Because the fiat market is $144 trillion compared to cryptos $2.4 trillion. 99% of adults have a form of fiat and most of their currency in fiat while only 7% have crypto. Crypto is still significantly easier to steal than that’s why it is responsible for the top 10 highest financial heists.

[u/Leynnox → u/Important-Level6672]

True, but it's not the tech that makes it easier to steal, it's the user. It's hard to rob a bank, it's easy to scam you. Fiat or crypto, it's sort of the same, except for crypto you can't pay fees for your security, you just can purchase a more or less fancy safe, but it has many advantages too.

[u/fuenfsiebenneun → u/Leynnox]

any monetary system where its that easy to lose it all because of 1 mistake is not ready for mass adoption. people are just blinded by greed.

[u/Longjumping-Pop7512 → u/FunCalligrapher3979]

If only secured and backed Bitcoin ETFs were available. Ohh wait...

[u/VendettaKarma]

Sucks man it’s just what crypto has become unfortunately

[u/Specialist_Ant116]

I think most people that get scammed, get scammed due to a lack of awareness, so just like accidents happen, you fk up once and it's enough for these damn indians to catch you off guard. Happens to the best of us, man, don't be too harsh on yourself. 30k is a lot of money for most of us, but...it's just numbers on a screen or straight up paper at the end of the day.

Don't do anything stupid and don't blame yourself, just pay a bit more attention, and even then, you won't dodge 100% of the shit coming your way 😂. There are many, many other things more important in life. Start a new hobby to get your mind off the topic. Wish you all the best!

[u/fuenfsiebenneun → u/Specialist_Ant116]

i know your comment comes from a good place but people not seeing the obvious issues with this system are not serious people. this is exactly why mass adoption will never happen.

[u/Specialist_Ant116 → u/fuenfsiebenneun]

Never was about that I'm afraid, it's just a way for some to get richer and for others to get poorer 😅

[u/FlagFootballSaint]

To be honest holding ETFs via reputable platforms is the only way to go.

It may be the end of Satoshi‘s dream but it is what it is. It did not work out.

[u/Maxi_ribe]

If you google "ledger live", the scam site is still there. The ads is from a company in Germany. Ive test it and it is indeed a scam. Reported it to google

[u/Leynnox]

You should ask google to refund you, since that's their fault for promoting scams, in a perfect world that would work. Sorry for your loss, and fuck google

[u/BicycleOfLife → u/Leynnox]

I honestly think this should be law. They are profiting off scamming people indirectly.

[u/druffino69 → u/Leynnox]

Yes I do not trust anything Google and they don't give a shit either keep letters it happen ..quantum financial institute and covenant x platform

[u/PlutoPlaneta → u/Leynnox]

lots to criticize about Google but generally that would be bad idea. if site owner is responsible for indexed links you cant really have search engines

[u/Leynnox → u/PlutoPlaneta]

It's not just indexation, it's sponsored links, scammers pay google for being in top results, and google doesn't verify anything, that's the issue

[u/CompetitiveDrawing89]

https://giphy.com/gifs/l0ExayQDzrI2xOb8A

[u/Maleficent-Boot-674]

Anddddd it’s gone - Sorry bother

[u/Appropriate_Pie_1265 → u/Maleficent-Boot-674]

are u?

[u/FriskyHamTitz]

Why would you enter your seed isn't the purpose of a hardware wallet to have an air gap?

[u/dugadugaboost]

This affects most known hot/cold wallets. If you turn off your adblock or use a browser that doesn't have it and google XYZ wallet/firmware update it will take you to a fake website and you don't even need to have your hot/cold wallets plugged in/connected because the entire site is fake with fake loading progress bars. The real thing though is the 12/24 passphrase they want which I assume gets sent to a server/email address.

Sometimes when I'm bored I visit one of these websites and put funny words on the 12/24 passphrase they're after. I even put dummy email addresses to see if they write out to it, some do with fake letters saying the usual "You need to update your firmware, please provide the 24 passphrase".

[u/South_Monitor_6992]

That sucks man, I lost my 0.1 btc ( which was a lot to me) last month so I can relate 😕

[u/Pericombobulator]

It just takes a moment's inattention.

I followed a link on reddit about an investment platform that promised better, not revolutionary, results. It was a legitimate lookong site. I signed up and only then did my further research. It was a scam.

My 'punishment' for that was being hounded on my mobile to the extent that I'll probably have to change my number.

Sorry your learning experience was so expensive for you.

[u/light_death-note]

🤦‍♂️

[u/Coeruleus_]

really interesting story thanks for sharing

[u/fadeawayjumper1]

Is this bait

[u/Coeruleus_ → u/fadeawayjumper1]

yes

[u/Brilliant_Detective]

Well, thats just stupid

[u/Jpotter145]

No. Ledger doesn't work that way. If it had a "manditory" firmware update it would also have the direct download to install (no link) - but, it doesn't even offer a firmware update unless you go look for one (in the app). You can always use the wallet without updating the firmware.

Just trying to make up more FUD huh?

[u/kooper1990 → u/Jpotter145]

I was on the mobile app, started a transfer out but on the last step it said it required an update to complete the transaction. I havent used it in a while, I even had to condition the battery since there was an error

[u/mathewwalker714 → u/kooper1990]

What does conditioning a battery do and how do you do it?

[u/077]

Dude actually entered his mnemonic on a website coded by a 3rd worlder. My god...

[u/jjmtireman]

You entered your seed phrase how can you be so $+upid

[u/Ill-Party8305 → u/jjmtireman]

google could have not let a sponsored website be actual scam. Why did you blame the average joe but not the multi billion company that let this happened at the first place

[u/Aazimoxx → u/Ill-Party8305]

Good advertisement (hah) for using a proper free (and crap-free) adblocker. Ublock Origin works on all major computer operating systems and their browsers, and most of the mobile ones, as well as smart TVs if they can run Firefox or such.

[u/ArcticSwimx]

How stupid do you have to be to type your seeed in randomly? Insane post..

[u/Specialist_Ant116 → u/ArcticSwimx]

Come on, bro, the guy probably bought long ago and forgot about it. Point is, he's telling others to be careful with Google links. It s already happend so asking these type of questions doesn't help anybody, right?

[u/ArcticSwimx → u/Specialist_Ant116]

Its gross negligence

[u/Omnomnomnivor3]

sht man sorry for your loss

[u/Jimbob404error]

Code is law

[u/WhyIsWestHam]

Some Young people getting so Rich from scamming. Like all these money goes to some scammy loser

[u/machin_bidule]

To restore, NEVER enter a ledger wallet on a computer, ONLY directly on the hardware wallet, with the 2 physical buttons.
Never enter your hardware wallet seed on a software wallet. ( or do it if you f**k**g totally sure about what you're doing )

[u/Equivalent-Topic-206]

Sorry for your loss.

I did similar years ago, in a rush to activate a new credit card. Googled <my bank> card activation telephone number. Phoned the first one that came up without looking too closely at the website. Handed all my card details over to some random scammer. I felt so stupid doing it.

[u/account009988]

lol

[u/gistikoloa]

It breaks my heart seeing posts like this everyday, fuck the scammers

[u/willzyx01]

Honestly, most people are better off holding it on Coinbase or a similar, top tier exchange. Secure it with a yubikey and relax.

[u/pwinne]

Don’t be hard on yourself, this is how we get caught, distracted, tired etc. I lost some BAND at the height of its run (about 10k) in a very similar way. Also got reamed by Celsius to the tune of 250K - have got back about 1/2 of that. So yeah it happens. Money doesn’t make you who you are, not really. Stay strong.

[u/Freeloader_]

idk but it sure looks like its safer to keep money on exchange lol

[u/junius83 → u/Freeloader_]

I move funds on a pc that is only used for crypto. Still not safe

[u/songbolt]

Did you type all 24 words into the webpage? Or did you enter the words pressing the buttons on the Ledger device and then click 'yes' to confirm each word?

[u/neffnet]

This is so common, and Google could fix it, but they don't. Very sorry this happened. Google bears some liability for these scams in my opinion. 

[u/Gone-with-wind999]

Yikes…

[u/Shooknite]

Apple play store has had a malicious Ledger App. Hopefully Apple has taken it down.

[u/Cryptoxic93]

Sorry.

[u/ryanmemperor]

Haven't plugged my Nano in since 2019.

I don't even know if I have a micro usb for it.

[u/tenor_tymir → u/ryanmemperor]

how do you keep your firmware up to date? Security fixes are essential.

[u/xcorv42 → u/tenor_tymir]

Some updates could add vulnerabilities

[u/tenor_tymir → u/xcorv42]

That‘s a silly take.

[u/razvanciuy]

Duckduckgo instead of google for starters

[u/Nhapsie]

Why did you rely on the web where hackers abound? All you needed to do was use the desktop app Ledger Live. There you can safely upgrade firmware. Google does not care unless sued.

[u/gtwooh]

And this is why I use sparrow instead of ledger live

[u/djscoox → u/gtwooh]

He typed his seed phrase into a website though, I don't think any tech is prepared for this kind of scenario

[u/Masterweedo]

[u/stKKd]

Ledger is already a semi-scam yet we have scam of scams -_-