Hackers gained access to OpenAI’s official press account on X, a platform utilized for product and policy updates. They issued a fraudulent announcement regarding a new OpenAI-branded blockchain token, “$OPENAI,” and provided a link to a phishing site aimed at stealing users’ login information.
The post falsely claimed that all OpenAI users could claim a share of the token’s initial supply and that holding the token would provide access to future beta programs. However, the token does not exist, and the site was clearly designed to phishing unsuspecting users, according to a report by TechCrunch.
This incident is not the first compromise involving OpenAI-related accounts. In June 2023, OpenAI CTO Mira Murati’s account was hacked and a similar fraudulent message promoting the nonexistent $OPENAI crypto token was posted. Just three months ago, the accounts of OpenAI’s chief scientist Jakub Pachocki and researcher Jason Wei were also compromised, leading to the publication of scam posts.
This hack reflects a broader trend of cryptocurrency scams targeting prominent accounts on X. In 2020, hackers attacked the accounts of Apple, Elon Musk, and Joe Biden to post a Bitcoin wallet address with false promises of doubling any payments made.
According to the FBI, Americans lost $5.6 billion to cryptocurrency scams in 2023, representing a 45% increase from the previous year. The Federal Trade Commission reported over 50,000 scams in the first half of 2024, costing consumers nearly $2.5 billion.
OpenAI and X have been reached for comments, but no responses were received by the time of publication.
