Last week, Metallica started sharing some strange cryptocurrency tweets after their Twitter/X account was hacked.
On 26 June, fans noticed Metallica tweeting about METAL, a Solana-based cryptocurrency. The hacker’s tweets claimed the crypto token was created in partnership with Ticketmaster.
While the tweets have since been deleted, Cointelegraph have shared screenshots of the tweets.
“Get ready for the takeover,” one post read. “Tap into $METAL, a dynamic new token on the Solana blockchain poised to revolutionise how you experience events and shop online. In collaboration with Ticketmaster.”
The post went on to explain how METAL would supposedly benefit fans, noting it can “open doors to exclusive discounts” like “25% off ticket purchases” by using the token at checkout. However, a quick search would prove that no such partnership was taking place; Ticketmaster never shared any information in regards to the ‘collaboration”.
Metallica haven’t released an official statement yet, but cryptocurrency transfer company MoonPay shared a safety alert in regards to METAL. “If someone is offering you a $METAL token, they are not the master of puppets – they’re the master of scams!” the company writes.
The band’s official account has also retweeted a tweet from MoonPay’s president, Keith A. Grossman. The tweet is simple but gets the message across: “MoonPay does NOT support $METAL on Solana.”
According to Dexscreener data, the ‘METAL’ token reached a peak of £2.6million around 20 minutes after it was launched. After fans realised it was the work of a scammer, three hours later it had dropped down to £71k. In the last 24 hours it’s gone down even further, dropping 20% in value.
While some may roll their eyes at those fooled by the scam tweets, considering Metallica’s recent collaboration with Fortnite, it’s not an entirely impossible notion. The hackers chose a tactical opportunity to strike, clearly aware of Metallica’s recent foray into the digital world.
Frontman James Hetfield has been very open about his excitement over the Fortnite/Metallica crossover. Speaking on The Metallica Podcast, he says the collaboration “is a really cool idea,” viewing it as a “whole other continent” for the band to conquer. “We’ve played all seven, [so we] might as well play the eighth one!”
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