Be Wary of Google's Top Ad: The $60 Billion Gnosis Safe Scam
Key Summary
Gnosis co-founder Martin Köppelmann warns of a Google ad scam targeting users searching for 'gnosis safe', a paid ad leading to a clone of the Safe multisig wallet holding over $60 billion. The scam has fooled users into signing up for the fake wallet, which can then empty their accounts. K&ouppelmann advocates for users to be cautious of sponsored ads and to use bookmarked official addresses to avoid such scams.
The Risk of Google Ad Scams in Crypto
The top Google result for 'gnosis safe' is a paid ad scam, according to Martin Köppelmann, co-founder of Gnosis. The ad leads to a polished clone of Safe, a multisig wallet holding over $60 billion. Self-custody wallets are designed to cut out middlemen, but many users still find their wallets through search engines like Google.
The Scam
K&ouppelmann flagged the ad on X, expressing his frustration with Google's ad platform. The ad is labeled 'Safe.global' and has a display link reading 'google.com', but clicking on it leads to a lookalike domain 'wallet-safe.global', which copies the real Safe Wallet app almost exactly.
The Dangers
The fake page can request approvals that empty the account, making it vulnerable to a single careless click. This is not the first Google ad scam, as evidenced by similar cases involving Trezor and Uniswap.
Prevention
K&ouppelmann advises users to skip any result labeled 'Sponsored' when searching for a wallet, exchange, or DeFi app. Users should bookmark the official address once and use only that bookmark afterward. Additionally, they should check the domain letter by letter before connecting and cross-check links through the project's official X account or documentation.
Conclusion
The burden of checking every URL still sits with the user, but using a bookmarked official address remains the simplest defense against the next Google ad scam.