Maria Vaca, a Florida resident, is suing Google after falling victim to a crypto scam that allegedly cost her millions.
The lawsuit, filed in California, claims that Vaca invested around $4.6 million in an app called Yobit Pro, which was available on the Google Play Store.
The app showed her investments growing, with a balance reaching $7 million. However, when she attempted to withdraw her funds, additional "tax" payments were demanded.
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After making an initial $500,000 extra payment, the app asked for another $2 million to release her funds. When Vaca refused to pay more, unidentified cybercriminals started sending her messages on WhatsApp, allegedly threatening her life if she didn't comply with their demands.
Realizing she had been scammed and fearing for her safety, Vaca contacted law enforcement and the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB). The CFPB quickly forwarded her complaint to Google, yet it allegedly took the company three months to remove Yobit Pro from its Play Store.
Vaca now seeks at least $5 million in damages, arguing that she downloaded the app because she trusted Google to keep scams off its platform. The lawsuit also claims:
As a result of Google's material misrepresentations and other deceptive conduct, Ms. Vaca has been significantly damaged, including, but not limited to, financial losses of more than $5 million, severe emotional and psychological distress, and the loss of the real estate business she spent most of her adult life trying to build.
The lawsuit also alleges that Vaca was not the only victim. According to her complaint, over 12,000 Android users downloaded Yobit Pro, with at least five others reporting similar experiences to Vaca's.
As the lawsuit progresses, it could have major implications for how companies like Google are held responsible for the safety of the apps they host.
In June, another scam involving Google surfaced, where hackers used a Google Chrome plug-in to steal over a million dollars from a Binance account.
