Unfortunately, Hackers are striking very frequently nowadays. Basically, whenever they get a whiff of a weak security spot, they pounce like hound dogs. Scams, hacks, and frauds are all words topping the current headlines! In an unfortunate event, the RTFKT COO phishing attack took place. Read on for all the details!
Let’s learn how Nikhil Gopalani, RTFKT’s (Nike-owned crypto brand) chief operating officer, lost nearly $200K worth of NFTs from his wallet in a sinister phishing scheme.
RTFKT COO Phishing attack
In a Tuesday tweet, Gopalani reported that he lost his precious collection of NFTs to a scammer in an apparent phishing attack.
In detail, the RTFKT COO fell victim to the misleading hack mainly because the attacker had the same phone number as his Apple ID.
Hey Clone X community – I was hacked by a clever Phisher (same phone # as apple ID) & sold all my clone x / some other nfts… Obviously pretty upset and hurt by this and I havent really been able to move all day. Hope people who bought my clones love them (being positive)
— Nikhil Gopalani (@Nikgopalani) January 3, 2023
For one thing, we can thank our dear blockchain technology for its ability to trace all transactions. As a result, OpenSea data showed that the attacker used two wallets to steal Gopalani’s entire stash.
Alas, the RTFKT COO phishing attack left behind great losses. In detail, the attacker stole the following assets that are cumulatively worth at least $170,000:
- 19 CloneX NFTs worth over $138,000.
- 18 RTFKT Space Pod-NFTs worth over $6,300.
- 17 Loot Pod-NFTs worth over $6,200.
- 11 Crypto Kicks NFTs worth over $3,000.
- 19 RTKFT Animus Eggs worth over $20,200.
Etherscan data shows that the affected wallet is now worth a mere $0.11. Ouch.
A Twitter user replied to the tweet, asking for more information on how this phishing attack might have happened, in order to ‘safeguard’ their assets.
So sorry to hear this brother, @CardilloSamuel / @RTFKT / – When you guys get chance could the team outline how exactly this happened to help the community safeguard assets going forward? The security goats @Zelotes_8315 / @kloudwarrior could possibly help here also..
— Menik™ (@Menik_V2) January 3, 2023
However, RTFKT Chief Technology Officer Samuel Cardillo couldn’t entertain the request. In addition, he hinted that law enforcement is investigating the incident.
But he did suggest that his colleague might have provided confidential information to the hacker. He added the following tweet:
For legal purposes, we won't be able to go in deeper details until further notice. All I can say is: be aware that companies such as Microsoft, Apple, … will never ask you for your password, your private key nor any other forms of private information via phone nor emails.
— SamuelCardillo.eth – RTFKT (@CardilloSamuel) January 3, 2023
Community Reactions
All in all, sympathy seems to be a common theme among the community members after the RTFKT COO Phishing attack ordeal. Moreover, some users shared their own unfortunate scam experiences, reminding the COO of the light at the end of the tunnel.
These are some of the tweets:
1)
Oh no. Nik so sorry 🙁
— Eric Bahn 💛 (@ericbahn) January 3, 2023
2)
Sorry to hear, man. I lost 8 eth in assets last week and I thought was the end, it gets better with the time. Slowly rebuild and focus on new goals, step by step.
— Mito do Bilhar 🥞 (@mito_do_bilhar) January 3, 2023
3)
as someone who got hacked recently, i feel your pain. even if you're been in the space for so long it happens. don't let it keep you down. i'm still very sad but we will move on and rise above it.
— Erika Lee (@erikaleetv) January 3, 2023
4)
Heart goes out to you 🙁
— Nickw.eth (🌱) 🦇🔊 (@nickwilmot1) January 3, 2023
The Wrap-Up
Certainly, the past few months have been grim in the Web3 world. News of stolen assets and corrupt companies was all over the place.
Undoubtedly, the question after the whole RTFKT COO phishing attack remains: Who is to blame for the breach? Companies or individuals?
To conclude, are individuals taking their privacy measures too loosely? Or should new tech aid in reinforcing wallet security?
Finally, all that we know is that you must be careful! Don’t click on suss links from unknown sources. And watch out for hackers posing as global companies!
Stay tuned for more news!