The X account of famous actor Tom Holland, which has over 7 million followers, was recently hacked.
The attackers used his platform to promote a fake cryptocurrency and NFT scheme.
The compromised account was used to announce a partnership with the global crypto exchange Binance, supposedly launching “Spiderverse” tokens.
A link to a fake website was attached, enticing users to gain early access to the fake SPIDER cryptocurrency and Spiderverse NFTs.
Early screenshots captured by followers also revealed changes to Holland’s bio, including a link to a fake partnership website.
A mysterious selfie of a curly-haired individual, potentially the hacker, appeared on the actor’s profile, accompanied by a caption referencing an iconic scene from the original Spider-Man movie.
The post, initially pinned on his profile, has since been removed. The timing of the hack coinciding with the return of Sam Raimi’s 2002 Spider-Man film to select theaters on April 15 adds an extra layer of intrigue to the situation.
The incident caused various reactions from fans, ranging from relief that Holland hadn’t genuinely endorsed the crypto scheme to jokes about the events.
One user joked about the missed opportunity to fake tease “Spider-Man 4,” while another expressed relief at not losing their beloved web-slinger to a crypto scheme.
While Tom Holland’s promotion of “Spiderverse” is fake, Marvel has previously ventured into the crypto space.
In late 2021, AMC partnered with Sony Pictures to offer NFTs to early ticket buyers of Holland’s “Spider-Man: No Way Home.” This initiative contributed to the movie’s big success, grossing over $1.9 billion. It led to AMC’s second-highest one-day ticket sales ever.
In 2022, AMC Theatres also made it possible for clients to make online ticket payments using popular meme coins such as Dogecoin and Shiba Inu.
VeVe, a New Zealand-based NFT company, has also collaborated with Marvel to release Spider-Man NFTs, including the first-ever Marvel book from 1939.
VeVe also recently launched NFT comics featuring Marvel superheroes like Spider-Man and the X-Men, powered by Ethereum technology.