High profile NFT artist, Michael "Beeple" Winkelmann is no stranger to the customary infirmity of phishing scams that plagues social media and messaging platforms of popular NFT artists, having become popular targets for phishing Scammers.
On Oct. 3, the NFT artist issued a warning to users that the URL link to his official Discord server was hijacked; uninformed members would be directed to a fraudulent discord server— a wallet drainer— where their wallets will be compromised.
it appears our discord URLs were hacked to point to a fraudulent discord. DO NOT go into that discord and do not verify, it will drain your wallet!!
— beeple (@beeple) October 3, 2022
once again massive thanks again to discord for being garbage. 👍
However, Twitter user maxnaut.eth was the first to notice the foul play perpetrated by the scammers unbeknown to beeple at the time. He quickly notified the NFT artist that the Discord link connected to the Beeple: Everydays — 2020 Collection on the popular NFT marketplace, OpenSea may have been “hijacked.”
@beeple Your OpenSea BEEPLE: EVERYDAYS - 2020 COLLECTION has a Discord link attached to it that links to a scam CollabLand wallet drainer.
— maxnaut.eth (@maxnaut) October 3, 2022
Your Discord URL probably got hijacked and your team didn't update it on OS. You need to change that ASAP or people going to get rekd. pic.twitter.com/GFMwWU2xd2
Although Beeple resorted to seizing discord by the button, claiming that the platform is to blame for the URL hack, other community members on Twitter had a different opinion about the matter. NFT analyst and security expert OKHotshot replied to Beeple’s tweet, alleging that the mismanagement of discord URLs is probably the cause of the URL hijack.
No your discord URLs weren't "hacked". Mismanagement of discord URLs allows this happen, probably just like it happened to CryptoBatz.
— OKHotshot (@NFTherder) October 3, 2022
Following the warning bells that were sounded by Maxnaut.eth, the fraudulent discord URL in the affected OpenSea listing appears to have been expunged.
However, Beeple did not reveal how many users may have been affected by the phishing attack.
Beeple rose to stardom not long after he sold some of the most expensive NFTs on record, including the First 5,000 Days, a collection of 5000 pieces of artwork that sold for a jaw-dropping $69.3 million.