Scammers have been using Google to deploy malicious phishing advertisements impersonating the crypto protocol Uniswap, reportedly netting at least $400,000. On-chain analyst 'b-block' posted on X that a website impersonating Uniswap was draining funds from multiple wallets. Stacy Muur, founder of Web3 marketing agency Green Dots, said scammers used a Google ad phishing link that impersonated Uniswap. The two flagged addresses held a combined 146 ETH (~$306,000). DeFiLlama noted that fake ads on Google are a common source of phishing attacks. Security Alliance (SEAL) reported a significant uptick in phishing activity on Google in March, blocking over 356 malicious advertisement links. Attackers pay Google or hack advertiser accounts to run convincing fake ads, using legitimate-looking URLs and hidden iframes to bypass detection. Between March 13 and 30, $1.27 million was stolen. In early May, attackers abused Google Ads and AI chatbot Claude in a malvertising campaign targeting Mac users. Facebook also hosts fake ads, with Malwarebytes reporting scammers running ads mimicking Microsoft promotions to deploy crypto-stealing malware.

Key facts

• Scammers made at least $400K from Google phishing ads impersonating Uniswap.
• Two flagged addresses held 146 ETH (~$306,000) from the scam.
• SEAL blocked 356+ malicious ad links; $1.27M stolen March 13-30.
• Attackers use legitimate-looking URLs and hidden iframes to bypass Google detection.