The popular NFT influencer and blogger NFT GOD has fallen victim to a phishing scam on Google (NASDAQ:GOOGL) Ads. This led to a breach of all his accounts and the theft of his blue-chip non-fungible tokens (NFTs) and digital assets.
NFT GOD Loses it All in Phishing Attack
On Sunday, January 15th, NFT influencer and blogger NFT GOD, also known as Alex, reported that on January 14th, his personal and professional accounts were compromised, leading to the theft of his NFTs and digital assets. He tweeted:
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Last night my entire digital livelihood was violated. Every account connected to me both personally and professionally was hacked and used to hurt others. Less importantly, I lost a life changing amount of my net worth— NFT God (@NFT_GOD) January 15, 2023
Alex explained that he clicked a sponsored ad on Google when trying to download OBS. The link included malicious software, which created a backdoor for the hackers. He discovered the hack after a series of phishing tweets were posted from his accounts.
The hackers stole 19 ETH, a Mutant Ape Yacht Club (MAYC) NFT worth 16 ETH, among other NFTs. The attackers funneled and swapped the funds for unknown tokens on the Fixed Float – a decentralized exchange.
The day after his wallet was drained, Alex discovered that his Substack had been breached. The exploiters sent emails laced with phishing links to his 16,000 subscribers.
NFT Phishing a Growing Concern
NFT GOD’s unfortunate incident is not the only time NFTs and other crypto assets have been stolen via phishing schemes on Google Ads. The attack follows that of a renowned Chinese DeFi blogger who lost assets worth $7.9 million from a private key leak.
Cybersecurity firm Cyble recently warned of an information-stealing malware, dubbed “Rhadamanthus Stealer,” spreading through Google Ads. Changpeng Zhao has also warned that Google search results were promoting crypto phishing and scamming websites.
On the Flipside
- Alex explained that the hackers exploited his hardware wallet because they entered its seed phrase “in a way that no longer kept it cold” or offline.
Why You Should Care
To avoid phishing attacks, only visit companies’ official websites and check carefully for the ad symbol before clicking on Google.
Read about the warning from Changpeng Zhao in:
Binance CEO Warns Crypto Enthusiasts About Phishing Scams on Google
Read about other NFT phishing attacks below:
Crypto Phishing Scams Likely Coming as Hacker Leaks Emails of 235M Twitter Users