Many people assume that downloading an app from an official store is safe. In this case, the app that turned out to be malicious was on Huawei’s official app store. Someone downloaded a fake wallet, exposing the recovery phrase for 170,000 USDT, which hackers then stole.

What made things worse was that there was a second round. The wallet’s permissions were changed to require multiple signatures, so the victim was no longer in control. The scammers then claimed they could unlock it for a fee. Having just lost money, the victim sent another payment—and the remaining USDT was wiped out too. When people are desperate to recover their losses, they’re most vulnerable to being scammed again.

There’s a very practical lesson here for all of us: official channels can reduce risk, but they don’t eliminate the need to verify. Before installing a wallet, take a couple of minutes to check the developer, download numbers, and reviews on the official website and in the community. Write your recovery phrase on paper only—never enter it on a webpage or share it with anyone. If anyone says “pay to unlock,” block them immediately.

Sometimes, the price of peace of mind is simply spending those extra two minutes checking before you install an app.