A Hyperliquid user appears to have lost roughly $550,000 in USDC after falling victim to a phishing scam promoted through a Google search ad, according to a crypto security specialist.
Darcy, co-founder of digital-asset tracing and recovery firm FlashRescue, posted blockchain data appearing to show three transfers from the user’s wallet to addresses he identified as controlled by the attacker.
Darcy attributed the loss to a paid Google ad that directed the user to a website impersonating Hyperliquid.
Malicious search ads have long been used to target crypto users.
The Block reported on the tactic as early as 2020, when scammers were buying ads that directed users searching for platforms such as Balancer and Uniswap to look-alike websites designed to steal private keys or obtain malicious wallet approvals.
