Non-fungible token (NFT) scammers took control of the University of the Philippines’ official Twitter account on Monday evening, posting several tweets promoting a fake airdrop. 

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Fast facts

  • The attackers renamed the Twitter account to “takashi murakami” — the name of a Japanese artist — and tweeted about an airdrop of “Murakami Flower Seeds” NFTs. 
  • The NFTs were free to claim but required people to pay “gas” fees, the tweets claimed. 
  • While the fake tweets have since been deleted, the account has yet to be recovered, according to the University of the Philippines’ statement on Tuesday.
  • The Twitter accounts of several well-known personalities and institutes have fallen victim to such hacks in recent months, including that of India’s prime minister Narendra Modi and the Ministry of Education. 

See related article: India PM Twitter account hacked, fake tweet claims Bitcoin is legal tender