- The hackers hacked the prominent reporter’s account in an attempt to promote giveaways for the Skulltoons NFT project by duping people into clicking a malicious link.
Scammers took over ESPN MLB reporter Jeff Passan’s Twitter account to promote a nonfungible token (NFT) giveaway, which he called the “biggest news day” of his life.
Giveaway Fraud
Passan had just broken word about an important agreement between the two sides about the international selection, while the MLB and the Players Association (MLBPA) were locked in a long-winded impasse over a labor accord that resulted in canceled games.
With all eyes on Passan for the next development, his account abruptly began promoting giveaways for the Skulltoons NFT project. “NFT Enthusiast, @Azukizen, Father, Husband, MLB Insider, Mod for @thugbirdz @skulltoonsNFT,” read his bio, which was also altered to “Jeff.eth.” His profile photo was also changed.
According to the tweets, Passan had partnered up with Skulltoons to give away 20 presale spots for a future release on March 20. (which have since been removed and recovered via screenshots). And, of course, users had to click on a suspicious-looking link in order to win.
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A warning to be cautious
Following internet allegations of the attack, the Skulltoons crew distanced themselves from the hacker’s remarks, warning the community to be cautious.
The hack was short-lived, with ESPN reportedly restoring Passan’s account within two hours. Passan’s Twitter backdrop was changed to a white picture with the words “I’m back” in allusion to NBA legend Michael Jordan’s famous phrase when he came out of retirement to return to the Chicago Bulls as a player.
Hackers regularly attempt to take control of large social media accounts in the hopes of persuading followers that they are seeing genuine advertisements from people they like. Hundreds of YouTube accounts, including BitBoy Crypto, Altcoin Buzz, Box Mining, Floyd Mayweather, Ivan on Tech, and The Moon, were hijacked to promote crypto scams in late January, according to Cointelegraph.