• Home
  • Latest
  • Fortune 500
  • Finance
  • Tech
  • Leadership
  • Lifestyle
  • Rankings
  • Multimedia
FinanceNFTs

NFT artist Beeple’s Twitter account was hacked with a phishing scam, and people lost thousands of dollars

By
Andrew Marquardt
Andrew Marquardt
Down Arrow Button Icon
By
Andrew Marquardt
Andrew Marquardt
Down Arrow Button Icon
May 23, 2022, 2:25 PM ET

The Twitter account of one of the most successful NFT artists was hacked on Sunday, and people lost thousands of dollars in crypto because of it.

Mike Winklemann, the digital artist and graphic designer known as Beeple, was hacked on Sunday by a scammer who posted two tweets from his account. The first tweet promoted an exclusive NFT drop with Louis Vuitton and the second announced that Beeple would release a set of exclusive NFTs for free, according to Crypto Daily.

Neither post was real, and Twitter users who clicked on the links featured in the scammers’ tweets automatically had one Ethereum drained from their crypto wallets. An estimated $71,000 in crypto was stolen from users’ accounts, Crypto Daily reported. 

Winklemann regained access to his account within a few hours of the hack, which he announced in a series of tweets. 

ugh we’ll that was fun way to wake up. 😫

Twitter was hacked but we have control now. Huge thanks to @garyvee ‘a team for quick help!!!! 🙏🙏🙏

— beeple (@beeple) May 22, 2022

“Stay safe out there, anything too good to be true IS A F******G SCAM,” Winklemann tweeted after regaining his account. “And as side note, there will never be a SURPRISE MINT I mention one time in one place starting at 6am Sunday morning.”

Many users replied to the Winklemann’s tweet sharing their experiences after clicking on the scammers’ links.

“My only blue chip NFT was stolen this morning to this scam. I had the misfortune of bad timing- saw the tweet about 30 seconds after it posted and thought it was just the sort of crazy random charitable thing you might do to change random people’s lives. Tough, valuable lesson,” tweeted one user.

Others wondered whether Winklemann would do anything to help users who lost funds in the phishing scam.

“Any chance you can return the ETH to the wallets that have been scammed? Would be a nice gesture from an artist as wealthy as yourself. How were the victims supposed to know it was a scam raffle if [it] is posted from your verified twitter account?” another user tweeted in response to Winklemann.

https://twitter.com/GreenwickJimmy/status/1528389554704719872

Winklemann did not immediately respond to Fortune’s request for comment. 

Sign up for the Fortune Features email list so you don’t miss our biggest features, exclusive interviews, and investigations.

About the Author
By Andrew Marquardt
See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon

Latest in Finance

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025

Most Popular

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Fortune Secondary Logo
Rankings
  • 100 Best Companies
  • Fortune 500
  • Global 500
  • Fortune 500 Europe
  • Most Powerful Women
  • Future 50
  • World’s Most Admired Companies
  • See All Rankings
Sections
  • Finance
  • Fortune Crypto
  • Features
  • Leadership
  • Health
  • Commentary
  • Success
  • Retail
  • Mpw
  • Tech
  • Lifestyle
  • CEO Initiative
  • Asia
  • Politics
  • Conferences
  • Europe
  • Newsletters
  • Personal Finance
  • Environment
  • Magazine
  • Education
Customer Support
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Customer Service Portal
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms Of Use
  • Single Issues For Purchase
  • International Print
Commercial Services
  • Advertising
  • Fortune Brand Studio
  • Fortune Analytics
  • Fortune Conferences
  • Business Development
  • Group Subscriptions
About Us
  • About Us
  • Editorial Calendar
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Diversity And Inclusion
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
Fortune Secondary Logo
  • About Us
  • Editorial Calendar
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Diversity And Inclusion
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • Facebook icon
  • Twitter icon
  • LinkedIn icon
  • Instagram icon
  • Pinterest icon

Latest in Finance

CryptoPolymarket
Polymarket is turning to Palantir to stem illegal sports betting as insider trading scrutiny grows
By Jacqueline MunisMarch 10, 2026
43 minutes ago
gates
North Americaphilanthropy
Bill Gates was a top 3 philanthropist last year as the ultrawealthy gave away $22.4 billion — but he didn’t take the the spot
By David Campbell, Hans Peter Schmitz, Lindsey McDougle and The ConversationMarch 10, 2026
1 hour ago
trump
Middle EastMiddle East
How the Iran War is related to the real winner of the Iraq War 20 years ago
By Farah N. Jan and The ConversationMarch 10, 2026
1 hour ago
Personal FinanceLoans
Does Chase offer personal loans?
By Joseph HostetlerMarch 10, 2026
1 hour ago
strait of hormuz
EnergyIran
Iran is reportedly laying mines in the Strait of Hormuz—Trump threatens to hit back ’20 times harder’
By Jake AngeloMarch 10, 2026
1 hour ago
Personal FinanceLoans
Best personal loans 2026: How to choose the best loan for your situation
By Joseph HostetlerMarch 10, 2026
1 hour ago

Most Popular

placeholder alt text
Real Estate
Billionaires Elon Musk and Mark Zuckerberg used mortgages to buy multimillion-dollar mansions. Here’s why that’s a savvy financial decision
By Sydney LakeMarch 9, 2026
1 day ago
placeholder alt text
Economy
'This cannot be sustainable': The U.S. borrowed $50 billion a week for the past five months, the CBO says
By Eleanor PringleMarch 10, 2026
7 hours ago
placeholder alt text
Investing
Oracle is under pressure from more than $100 billion in debt and massive layoffs as it pushes ahead with Larry Ellison’s 3-step transformation 
By Amanda GerutMarch 9, 2026
22 hours ago
placeholder alt text
Middle East
Like Trump, Iran’s new supreme leader is a real estate mogul, with a house on ‘Billionaires’ Row,’ a villa in Dubai, and upscale European hotels
By Jason MaMarch 9, 2026
1 day ago
placeholder alt text
Future of Work
Shark Tank's Kevin O'Leary doesn't care if you work from your basement. He just wants to know if you can ‘execute’
By Marco Quiroz-GutierrezMarch 10, 2026
16 hours ago
placeholder alt text
Personal Finance
Current price of gold as of March 9, 2026
By Danny BakstMarch 9, 2026
1 day ago

© 2026 Fortune Media IP Limited. All Rights Reserved. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy | CA Notice at Collection and Privacy Notice | Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information
FORTUNE is a trademark of Fortune Media IP Limited, registered in the U.S. and other countries. FORTUNE may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.