Consensual non-monogamy app 3Fun shared how it was the victim of an attempted trademark infringement extortion plot. 3Fun’s CEO & Founder, Max Ma, wants to raise awareness about the crime and warn other app developers to keep alert.
In a recent press release, 3Fun shared how the extortion plot worked:
“The extortion plot scam was highly sophisticated: 3Fun is trademarked under its parent company, Sugar Life Co., Limited. At the end of March, the scammers created www.sugarglife.site, a fake domain, to defraud 3Fun, by contacting Apple and claiming trademark infringement. As well, an email address created under the fake domain in the name of 3Fun’s attorney of record on its trademark certificate was also made. An email was sent from that account to 3Fun, claiming to help restore the app for a sizable fee. When 3Fun declined to negotiate, the impersonator attempted to defraud the company for a six-figure payout of $500,000.”
3Fun shared that it is now working with Apple to resolve this issue.
“In going public about this trademark infringement scam impacting 3Fun, I want to build awareness of the latest way that scammers are targeting businesses to defraud them. Business owners need to be in the know so they are better able to protect their companies from these types of extortion scams”, says Max Ma, 3Fun’s Founder and CEO.
3Fun was released on the App Store in 2016, with more than 10 million downloads to date. The platform helps individuals interested in consensual non-monogamy to find like-minded individuals.