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# Scammers Hack Beeple's Twitter and Steal Over $400K in Crypto
- URL: https://hyperallergic.com/scammers-hack-beeples-twitter-and-steal-over-400k-in-crypto/
- Published: 2022-05-23T21:19:06.000Z
- Updated: 2025-11-24T16:05:18.000Z
- Description: The phishers posted an “official minting link” to a fraudulent raffle from the famous NFT artist’s account.
- Author: Jasmine Liu
- Tags: News, Crypto, NFTs, Twitter, #wp, #wp-post, #image-position-hidden, #Import 2025-11-24 09:22 (2021, 2022, part 2)

Phishers reportedly [hacked](https://www.forbes.com/sites/carlieporterfield/2022/05/23/beeples-followers-lose-438000-to-phishing-scam-after-nft-artists-twitter-gets-hacked/?sh=670b3fec1332&ref=hyperallergic.com) into the Twitter account of digital artist Mike Winkelmann, who goes by the artist name Beeple and who skyrocketed to fame after [selling a non-fungible token](https://hyperallergic.com/as-nft-sells-for-69m-artists-question-environmental-impact-of-blockchain/) (NFT) for $69 million in March 2021\. Users who fell for the scammers’ ploy collectively lost over $400,000.

On Sunday, May 22, the scammers tweeted out an “official minting link” to a raffle for an upcoming “spring/summer collection 2021” collaboration with Louis Vuitton. (Last summer, Beeple collaborated with the luxury fashion house on the release of a phone game called “Louis: The Game,” which celebrated Vuitton’s 200th birthday and featured 30 collectible NFTs of which Beeple designed ten — so the raffle wasn’t completely implausible.) The tweet promised a “free mint” of “200 unique pieces.” Beeple’s Twitter bio was also edited to promote the fraudulent raffle.

One link emptied users' crypto wallets once clicked, stealing $365,000 worth of crypto assets including cryptocurrencies and NFTs. Another link prompted users to send Ether to an externally owned account, netting the scammers another $73,000\. When Beeple woke up Sunday morning, he reclaimed control of his account.

“Stay safe out there, anything too good to be true IS A FUCKING SCAM,” Beeple [tweeted](https://twitter.com/beeple/status/1528380636557361152?ref=hyperallergic.com), before clarifying that he would never announce a surprise mint that was mentioned “one time in one place starting at 6am Sunday morning.” He capped his tweet with a facepalm emoji. On the thread, some users [suggested](https://twitter.com/ethpg/status/1528392308747476992?ref=hyperallergic.com) Beeple pay back users who lost funds to the scam using his own money.

As cryptocurrency adoption rises, scams are proliferating. Beeple’s popularity was co-opted last November in a separate hack, when his [Discord was taken over](https://cointelegraph.com/news/beeple-s-discord-compromised-attack-timed-to-coincide-with-christie-s-auction?ref=hyperallergic.com) and approximately $76,000 was stolen from unsuspecting users. According to [research](https://atlasvpn.com/blog/blockchain-hackers-stole-nearly-700-million-in-q1-2022?ref=hyperallergic.com) conducted by Atlas VPN, $1.3 billion worth of crypto has been stolen just in the first four months of 2022.