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On September 24th, the Twitter account of OpenAI, which operates the ChatGPT platform, was taken over by fraudsters who posted a fraudulent announcement about a non-existent crypto token named $OPENAI. The deceptive message claims that the token “bridges the gap between AI and blockchain technology,” and urges all OpenAI users to “claim a portion of the initial supply of $OPENAI.” I was promised access to a future beta program.
The post contained a link to a phishing site designed to lure victims into connecting to their cryptocurrency wallets, which scammers then access and steal content. The scammers also disabled comments on the post, claiming it was a precaution against “malicious links.” This is likely intended to prevent users from warning each other about scams.
Fortunately, the fraudulent post was quickly removed and OpenAI regained control of the account. However, this incident is not isolated. Just a few days ago, the same fake token announcement was posted after OpenAI researcher Jason Way’s X account was compromised. In June 2023, the company’s chief technology officer (CTO) Mira Murati fell victim to a similar hack, with scammers promoting the same fraudulent tokens. The post managed to reach tens of thousands of users before being deleted.
Despite OpenAI CEO Sam Altman being involved in the development of the controversial World Coin (WLD), the company has not announced any plans to launch a cryptocurrency token. . However, as discussions about the integration of cryptocurrencies and AI become increasingly prevalent in the crypto community, the scammer’s claims about the connection between AI and blockchain may resonate with many.
This incident highlights the growing threat of phishing scams targeting cryptocurrency enthusiasts, especially with rapidly evolving AI and blockchain technologies. Users are asked to remain vigilant and verify new tokens and project claims.