Arthur Madrid, the co-founder and CEO of The Sandbox, reported that his Twitter account was hacked on May 26. The attacker used Madrid’s account to promote a fake “airdrop” phishing scam. Madrid’s post, which was made after he recovered his account, warned The Sandbox users not to click on any links that promote Airdrop or URL and look scammy. He urged users to use the proper and unique URL/domain name: http://sandbox.game.
The Sandbox’s Official Twitter Account Warning
Four hours before Madrid’s post, The Sandbox’s official Twitter account also warned that a scammer had taken control of the account and was promoting a scam/phishing link for a fake airdrop of SAND tokens. The post included a screenshot of the alleged scam post, which advertised a SAND token airdrop and encouraged users to “check eligibility and claim on the site,” referring users to a website with a different URL than the official one. The Sandbox team stated that they were working on getting the site down and fixing it as soon as possible.
Phishing Attacks in the Crypto Community
Phishing attacks have become a frequent problem in the crypto community. On May 19, a scam-as-a-service called “Inferno Drainer” was reportedly discovered to be operating on Telegram, recruiting website builders to create hundreds of these phishing scam sites. By the time it was discovered, it had reportedly stolen nearly $6 million from users. On April 15, cybersecurity firm Kaspersky reported that these types of attacks increased by 40% in 2022 compared to the previous year.
Preventing Phishing Scams
To avoid falling victim to phishing scams, users should be wary of any unsolicited messages containing links. They should also verify the authenticity of any links before clicking on them. Users can do this by hovering over the link to see if the URL matches the one they expect. Additionally, users should never give out their private keys or seed phrases to anyone. They should also use two-factor authentication to add an extra layer of security to their accounts. Finally, users should stay informed about the latest phishing scams and report any suspicious activity to the appropriate authorities.
The recent hack of Arthur Madrid’s Twitter account and the subsequent phishing scam serve as a reminder of the importance of staying vigilant in the crypto community. By following best practices for online security, users can protect themselves from falling victim to these types of attacks.