The official X account of legendary heavy metal band Metallica was briefly compromised to promote a crypto scam. The hackers used the opportunity to promote a fraudulent Solana-based (SOL) token with the ticker METAL late on Tuesday EST (June 25).
Screenshot of the now-deleted tweet promoting a scam. | Source: X
The now-deleted unauthorized posts claimed a partnership with Ticketmaster and involvement from fintech company MoonPay. However, both companies quickly distanced themselves from the project. MoonPay’s president, Keith Grossman, explicitly denied any connection:
If someone is offering you a $METAL token, they are not the master of puppets – they’re the master of scams!
Keep your keys safe and ride the lightning responsibly!
The hackers attempted to lure potential buyers by promising exclusive perks such as free concert tickets, custom gaming consoles, and merchandise in exchange for METAL tokens. In another deleted-post even suggested the token would offer staking rewards.
Screenshot of the now-deleted tweet promising staking rewards on the scam token. | Source: X
Metallica’s crypto scam token
Despite these claims, the token’s value plummeted shortly after its launch. According to Dexscreener data, METAL’s total value briefly peaked at $3.37 million before crashing to around $90,000 within three hours. The price dropped by nearly 100% from its high point.
METAL’s price has fallen to near-zero from its peak. | Source: DEX Screener
Metallica’s team has since regained control of the X account and deleted all posts related to the fake token. The band and their management have not yet commented on the incident, and the method of the account breach remains unclear.
This event serves as a reminder of the ongoing risks of cryptocurrency scams and the importance of verifying information from official sources, even when it appears to come from verified accounts of well-known entities.
The report follows early June leaks suggesting that Metallica is planning to hold a concert in Fortnite.
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