Allegedly, around 100,000 individuals have been ensnared by deceitful applications on Google Play, yet the precise extent of user losses remains undisclosed.

In response to this alarming trend, Alphabet, the parent company of Google, has initiated legal proceedings against two individuals situated in China, accusing them of orchestrating a scheme involving fraudulent cryptocurrency apps that garnered over 100,000 downloads.

Alphabet asserts that the perpetrators exploited its platforms, namely Google Play and YouTube, as conduits for disseminating and promoting these spurious crypto applications.

According to an April 4 Bloomberg report, the conglomerate alleges that the defendants systematically engaged in a racketeering pattern following numerous instances of wire fraud. The lawsuit was formally lodged on Thursday, April 4, in a federal court in New York.

The purported scam applications were meticulously crafted to mimic legitimate digital asset investment opportunities, coercing users into depositing funds that they could never retrieve.

Despite Google's persistent efforts to purge its platform of fraudulent applications, many continue to evade detection by its fraud mitigation mechanisms. The two accused individuals reportedly commenced uploading these racketeering applications as early as 2019.

Google's General Counsel, Halimah DeLaine Prado, emphasized the significance of this legal action in protecting the platform's user base, stating, "This litigation is a critical step in holding these bad actors accountable and sending a clear message that we will aggressively pursue those who seek to take advantage of our users."