Google Ads Phishing Scam Steals $400,000 from Uniswap Users

A sophisticated phishing campaign using fraudulent Google search advertisements to impersonate the popular decentralized exchange Uniswap has stolen at least $400,000 from cryptocurrency users, according to on-chain analysts and security researchers. The scheme highlights a persistent threat vector that has continued for over a year, with attackers exploiting major advertising platforms to target digital asset holders.

On-chain analyst bblock first flagged the operation, warning that a counterfeit website was systematically draining funds from multiple wallets. Stacy Muur, founder of the Web3 marketing agency Green Dots, corroborated the findings, sharing a screenshot of a deceptive sponsored result appearing at the top of Google search results. Data from Etherscan indicated two wallet addresses tied to the scam held approximately 146 ETH, valued at roughly $306,000 at the time of reporting.

Security researchers explained that attackers typically purchase Google Ads directly or compromise legitimate advertiser accounts. They then create convincing advertisements that outbid authentic crypto platforms to secure top placement in the "Sponsored" search results section. The ads use...