Apple left fake bitcoin wallet on App Store after $875,000 theft report, lawsuit says

In the current suit, James Ramirez, claims he downloaded the app on July 25, 2025 and had 7.4 BTC “transferred to a scammer.” He reported the app and theft to Apple that day, according to the filing. Christopher Ellis allegedly lost about $840,000 after installing the app on Aug. 3.

Jalen Delgado, who had downloaded the app around May 1, 2025, lost 1.05 BTC, then worth roughly $120,000 after relying on “Apple’s representations that its App Store was safe and the apps hosted in the Apple App Store had been vetted by experts,” according to the filing.

Ramirez and Ellis said Apple never responded to their reports.

The official Sparrow Wallet is a desktop-only application available for Windows, macOS and Linux. It does not offer an iOS version.

The lawsuit alleges Apple ranked the fraudulent application and included it in curated cryptocurrency app collections alongside legitimate products. It also points to Sparrow developer Craig Raw warning in January 2024 that an impersonator remained available despite being reported to Apple weeks earlier.

The case seeks reimbursement of the alleged stolen assets, compensatory and punitive damages and potentially multiplied damages. The plaintiffs also want Apple to disclose the limitations of its review process, strengthen its controls and warn users that an App Store listing does not establish that a cryptocurrency application is authentic.