US musician G. Love (Garrett Dutton) publicly described losing about 5.9 bitcoin after installing what looked like Ledger Live from Apple’s App Store while moving to a new Mac. The counterfeit app asked for his 24-word recovery phrase; once entered, the coins were swept. On-chain watchers later traced the flow through multiple hops. Hardware was not “broken” — the seed was handed over.
Official Ledger guidance is blunt: the genuine Ledger Live workflow does not require typing your recovery phrase into a downloaded app to “set up” an existing device. Phishing clones thrive in app stores and ads because the icon looks right at thumbnail size.
Install wallet software only from addresses you typed yourself, verify publisher names, and never enter a seed into a screen that arrived via search. If you already typed one, move any remaining funds from a new seed on trusted hardware and use the help routes below.
Help routes: Get help. If a “refund agent” appears next, see Fake recovery.
This article is for general information only. It is not legal or financial advice. Details change. If you have lost money, contact your bank or card issuer and use the routes on the help pages.