Cryptocurrency scammers hacked OpenAI’s official press account on X late Monday afternoon. The compromised account posted about a fake OpenAI-branded blockchain token called “$OPENAI.”
The misleading post said, “We’re very happy to announce $OPEANAI [sic]: the gap between AI and blockchain technology. All OpenAI users can claim a piece of $OPENAI’s initial supply.
Holding $OPENAI will grant access to all of our future beta programs.
However, $OPENAI is not a real token. The post contained a link to a phishing site designed to look like the official OpenAI website, but with an incorrect URL, “token-openai.com.” The fake site had a prominent “CLAIM $OPENAI” button that tried to get users to connect their cryptocurrency wallets, likely to steal their login information. At the time of publication, the malicious post and phishing site were still active, with comments on the post turned off.
OpenAI and X have been asked for comments; any updates will be provided.
OpenAI account compromised by scammers
This is not the first time accounts linked to OpenAI have been hacked for phishing scams.
In June 2023, OpenAI CTO Mira Murati’s account was also hijacked to promote the fake $OPENAI token. Three months ago, the accounts of OpenAI chief scientist Jakub Pachocki and researcher Jason Wei were also hacked and used for similar scam posts. Cryptocurrency scams have been common across high-profile X accounts in recent years.
In 2020, accounts belonging to Apple, Elon Musk, and Joe Biden were hacked, with attackers promoting a Bitcoin wallet promising doubled returns on payments. According to the FBI, Americans lost $5.6 billion to cryptocurrency scams in 2023, a 45% increase from 2022. The trend continues in 2024, with more than 50,000 scams reported in the first half of the year, costing consumers nearly $2.5 billion.
