A simple Google search for Sony’s blockchain ecosystem Soneium turns up a misleading top result that, if interacted with, could quickly deplete your wallet.
This phishing scheme takes advantage of Google’s advertising platform to secure a prime spot in search results. At first glance, everything seems legitimate — the link appears genuine (soneium.org) and the description, albeit slightly buzzword-heavy, seems plausible.
“Soneium Minato Testnet — Soneium empowers developers and users to amalgamate creative concepts with state-of-the-art technology,” the leading result for ‘Soneium’ on Google states. “Soneium provides a user-centric platform that connects innovative thinkers globally.”
Unfortunately, this fraudulent website connects users to something far more sinister. After multiple redirects, the ad leads to ‘someium.org.’ A near-exact replica of soneium.org, it can easily deceive users into thinking it’s the authentic site. If they proceed to connect their wallet, the phishing attempt will swiftly empty their assets.
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This alarming mirror site was first reported by Scam Sniffer on X (formerly Twitter). The investigators alerted their audience that even if “soneium” is misspelled as “someium,” the leading search result will likely direct them to the same phishing attack.
To steer clear of this Soneium phishing scam, always verify the final URL. Phishing ads masquerade as official domains through several redirects, which is what occurs here — so even if the link appears legitimate, the destination may have an entirely different URL.
Protos has filed a report about the ad with Google.
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