An official OpenAI account on X was taken over to peddle a cryptocurrency scam on Monday evening.
On Monday at 6:24PM ET, the @OpenAINewsroom account, which shares news from OpenAI and has nearly 54,000 followers, made a now-deleted post advertising an “$OPENAI” token.
“We’re very happy to announce $OPEANAI: the token bridging the gap between Al and blockchain technology,” the post said. “All OpenAI users are eligible to claim a piece of $OPENAI’s initial supply. Holding $OPENAI will grant access to all of our future beta programs.” The post also included a link to a spoofed version of OpenAI’s website at a URL that wasn’t openai.com.
Two posts from the hijacked OpenAI Newsroom account.Screenshot by Jay Peters / The Verge
When I visited the site, there was a section for claiming the $OPENAI cryptocurrency. When I clicked the button, it asked me to connect a wallet, which I didn’t do.
If you find yourself on this website, do not connect your crypto wallet.Screenshot by Jay Peters / The Verge
OpenAI and X didn’t immediately reply to a request for comment. As of this writing, the OpenAI Newsroom account hasn’t posted anything to explain what might have happened. The account launched at the beginning of this month.
Original author: Jay Peters