- An NFT diehard pseudonymously known as CryptoNovo has lost CryptoPunks valued at over $330,000 through a hack
- The stolen collectibles were transferred to a known phishing address
- Some think he wasn’t hacked by was lured into authorizing a malicious dApp
An NFT diehard pseudonymously known as CryptoNovo on Twitter has disclosed that he lost over $330,000 worth of his CryptoPunks NFTs in a hack. Details of the hack show that the stolen collectibles went to an address known to be controlled by individuals running phishing scams and that the incident was more of a phishing attack than a hack. This comes less than a day after RTFKT’s COO said he lost NFTs worth over $173,000 to a “clever phisher.”
CryptoPunks, BAYC and CloneX NFTs Stolen
CrypoNovo took to Twitter to display the lost Punks and the address where they were transferred to, with two of the stolen NFTs immediately changing hands for a total of 269 ETH valued at close to $336,000. The NFT ambassador also lost other collectibles associated with leading collections such as Bored Ape Yacht Club (BAYC) and CloneX:
I just got hacked!!!
Are you kidding me!?! pic.twitter.com/r1xS0mhD6P
— CryptoNovo (@CryptoNovo311) January 4, 2023
Although the NFT diehard said that he was a victim of a hack, some in the crypto community think that it was more of a phishing attack. According to them, CryptoNovo may have interacted with a malicious decentralized app (dApp) that subsequently drained his wallet off several digital collectibles.
Really sorry this happened and I hope you’re able to get the pieces back. If it’s any help, it looks like you may have a signed a txn granting an allowance to https://t.co/8Lpr10A3sz pic.twitter.com/pNMt5xrN0F
— proper (@__proper) January 4, 2023
NFT Consumer Protection Needed
CryptoNovo woes spilled over to Discord where an individual created a clone account a few hours after the hack. In their official Twitter account, the NFT ambassador said that the new Discord account is a “fake account” and his followers should not interact with it or send anything.
I have not asked anyone for anything. DO NOT send anything to anyone using my name and account number! The discord you see below is a fake account. A couple other CryptoPunks owners have scammers acting as them as well. pic.twitter.com/9YWcTLYAJd
— CryptoNovo (@CryptoNovo311) January 4, 2023
The crypto and NFT community stood with CryptoNovo with most of them asking how they can help while others asked how the community can come together “to create better consumer protection for this [NFT] space.” CryptoNovo’s loss comes a day after NFT marketplace Magic Eden denied claims it has been hacked, an indication that hackers and scammers are targeting both individuals and NFT exchanges.
