NBA Top Shot Scam Targets ESPN Reporter's X Account, Raises Concerns Over NFT Fraud

NFT scams and account breaches are not uncommon on X. Even high-profile accounts often fall victim to hacking and exploitation. However, what's particularly concerning is when an ESPN reporter, with millions of followers, becomes the target of a scammer. In this instance, the scammer's objective was to deceive users of a prominent NFT project into granting access to their cryptocurrency wallets.

The incident occurred when the Twitter account of Adrian Wojnarowski, ESPN's Senior NBA Insider, was compromised. With over 6.3 million followers, Wojnarowski's account shared a post purporting to offer a "free NFT pack" to NBA Top Shot customers who linked their cryptocurrency wallet to the site.

The tweet claimed that NBA Top Shot, a popular NFT platform, was now supporting the Ethereum blockchain, and as a celebratory gesture, all users could receive a complimentary NFT pack while supplies lasted. This message garnered significant attention, with hundreds of thousands of views, retweets and likes.

The link provided in the tweet directed users to a website with the URL "nbatopshot dot org," where they were prompted to connect their crypto wallet to purportedly claim the "free NFT pack."However, it was later revealed that Wojnarowski's X account had been compromised.

An hour after the scam post, the official NBA Top Shot account issued a disclaimer alerting users to the fraudulent scheme. "There is NO Free Airdrop happening on NBA Top Shot at this time. Please be careful and always double-check links. The only official NBA Top Shot site is https://nbatopshot.com. Thank you," they posted.

Decline in NBA Top Shot Popularity

NBA Top Shot is a nonfungible token (NFT) marketplace where basketball fans can purchase, sell, and exchange NBA-themed digital goods. According to The Verge, NBA Top Shot, like all other NFTs, has seen a significant decline in popularity in recent years. As of January 2024, the platform had only 8,100 separate merchants and 5,550 unique consumers. This is a huge decrease from March 2021, when there were nearly 400,000 buyers.

Rise in High-Profile Account Hacks

High-profile account hacks, like the recent incident involving Wojnarowski, are unfortunately becoming increasingly common on social media platforms. Mashable has previously reported on the surge in celebrity accounts being hacked, such as the case of a hacker promoting a "10 MacBooks" scam.

Celebrities like Anya Taylor-Joy and LeVar Burton have also fallen victim to X account hacks, where hackers attempt to deceive their followers into sending them money. These hackers often gain access to accounts by posing as legitimate businesses or individuals and tricking users into providing their account credentials. While the success rate of scams like the NBA Top Shot NFT airdrop is unclear, the post on Wojnarowski's account has since been removed.