Cryptocurrencies valued at $ 4,000 allegedly disappeared from the user. The extension got removed from Firefox, but a fake address is still active.
A bogus bitcoin and crypto wallet extension, Safepal, on Mozilla Firefox, received accusations from a user allegedly losing thousands of dollars in crypto.
The complaint came from the user named Cali, on September 11, in a Firefox support forum. There, the user explained that after installing the extension and logging in with his data, when he went to check if the cryptocurrencies faced a correct transfer, he saw that his balance, surprisingly, was at zero.
Cali explained that he entered a state of shock when he noticed his last transactions and realized that his cryptocurrencies valued at USD 4,000 went to another wallet.
The user expressed his displeasure, and although he did not reveal which cryptocurrencies disappeared, he did raise several questions regarding the audit department that checks each add-on and tests it before it appears in the official Mozilla Firefox add-on store.
The user also questioned how the entities did not pay enough attention to this plug-in and how many people could get scammed.
Although their questions did not find a response, Caitlin Neiman, Plugin Community Manager at Mozilla, reported that they would discuss what happened.
Finally, the victim of the robbery highlighted that he contacted the police. The authorities told him there is no way they can track down the hacker. The only solution the victim has left was that maybe some users could help him find out who the hacker was and how he can get all his funds back.
Out of Service Extension
The fake wallet extension is not currently available. According to Firefox, the extensions must be submitted to Mozilla for certification before appearing in the release and beta versions.
According to the company, the certification should also grant Firefox users that an extension has not received interference that would Give Mozilla the ability to block suspicious extensions.
Safepal, Not Aware of the Extension
Likewise, Cali assures that it contacted the developers of the Safepaly wallet. They were shocked because no audit department is verifying the add-ons in Firefox.
Safepal appeared for the first time in 2018. It offers hardware and software wallet services and has 2 million users in at least 146 countries.
The company behind the cold wallet has one of its most vital investors, the renowned exchange Binance, and offers services for more than 20,000 cryptocurrencies and tokens.
The address, created by the people behind the malicious extension, is active and, when trying to enter, it asks for the 12-word recovery phrase to pair your SafePal Wallet.
There is a famous phrase among crypto users: If they are not your keys, they are not your bitcoins. The private keys are those keys that give users access to their addresses in the blockchain, and if they get supplied in apps, or, to a false extension, the user might put their cryptocurrencies at risk.
By: Jenson Nuñez
