OpenAI Newsroom Account on X Hacked to Promote Cryptocurrency Scam

The official OpenAI Newsroom account on X was hacked on Monday evening and used to promote a cryptocurrency scam. 

The account, which shares updates from OpenAI and has nearly 54,000 followers, posted a misleading message about a non-existent token called “$OPENAI.”

The fraudulent post claimed that the token was aimed at connecting artificial intelligence and blockchain technology, inviting all OpenAI users to claim a share of the token’s initial supply. 

It also falsely suggested that holding this token would give users access to OpenAI’s future beta programmes. A link provided in the post directed users to a fake website designed to resemble OpenAI’s official site but hosted on a different URL.

When accessed, the fraudulent site encouraged users to connect their cryptocurrency wallets, a tactic often used to steal login credentials. As of Monday night, neither OpenAI nor X had provided an official explanation, and no corrective post had been made by the compromised account.

This incident is not the first of its kind for OpenAI, as similar phishing campaigns targeted the accounts of OpenAI’s top executives earlier this year. In June, OpenAI CTO Mira Murati’s account was hacked to promote a similar crypto token scam. 

Added to this, other key figures within the organisation, such as chief scientist Jakub Pachocki and researcher Jason Wei, had their accounts hijacked for similar fraudulent purposes just a few months ago.

Cryptocurrency scams on social media platforms have been a growing issue in recent years, affecting both individuals and corporations. In one of the most notorious cases in 2020, accounts belonging to Apple, Elon Musk, and even Joe Biden were hacked, with scammers posting a bitcoin wallet address and falsely claiming that payments sent to the wallet would be doubled and returned.

According to the FBI, Americans lost $5.6 billion to cryptocurrency scams in 2023, a rise from the previous year. The trend appears to be continuing into 2024, with the first half of the year already seeing 50,000 reported scams, amounting to nearly $2.5 billion in losses.