Home Lego website hacked as fake cryptocurrency scam targets fans with fraudulent coins

Lego website hacked as fake cryptocurrency scam targets fans with fraudulent coins

TLDR

  • Lego's website was hacked to display a fake crypto banner selling "Lego Tokens."
  • The issue was resolved within an hour, and no user accounts were compromised.
  • Lego remains focused on the metaverse and augmented reality, not launching cryptocurrency.

Lego’s website was temporarily compromised on Friday after a hacker inserted a banner on its homepage, attempting to dupe fans into buying fake Lego coins as part of a cryptocurrency scam.

The website promised “secret rewards” for any buyers of the coins, and then redirected them to an external crypto website selling “Lego Tokens” with Ethereum. By clicking on the “Acquista” link on the banner, however, users ended up on the phishing site where they could purchase fake ERC-20 tokens.

Some users reported the incident directly to Lego via social media platform, X. One user said: “Hey @LEGO_Group someone popped your site and changed the main page! It directs to a crypto site to an account that is almost definitely not you guys!”

According to a Lego Reddit thread, the attackers were stopped, and the website returned to normal in just over an hour.

In a statement to Engadget, the company said: “On 5 October 2024 (October 4 evening in the US), an unauthorized banner briefly appeared on LEGO.com. It was quickly removed, and the issue has been resolved.

“No user accounts have been compromised, and customers can continue shopping as usual. The cause has been identified and we are implementing measures to prevent this from happening again.”

Will Lego launch its own cryptocurrency?

Lego appears to be more interested in the metaverse and expanding its sets rather than launching its own cryptocurrency. At the 2022 World Economic Forum, the company’s Vice President, Edward Lewin, discussed how augmented reality can change the way children learn today, citing the example of a volcano.

He said that learning about a volcano through a two-dimensional book and seeing it in augmented reality are two vastly different experiences, adding, “it could be a great way for learning for future generations.”

Lewin also talked about building a future for children in the Metaverse, adding: “One in three people using the internet are young adults and children, so I would really focus on building from kids’ perspective, given they are the future users.”

A Lego spokesperson said: “On 5 October 2024, an unauthorized banner briefly appeared on LEGO.com. It was quickly removed, and the issue has been resolved. No user accounts have been compromised, and customers can continue shopping as usual. The cause has been identified and we are implementing measures to prevent this from happening again.”

Featured image: Ideogram

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The ReadWrite Editorial policy involves closely monitoring the gambling and blockchain industries for major developments, new product and brand launches, game releases and other newsworthy events. Editors assign relevant stories to in-house staff writers with expertise in each particular topic area. Before publication, articles go through a rigorous round of editing for accuracy, clarity, and to ensure adherence to ReadWrite's style guidelines.

Suswati Basu
Tech journalist

Suswati Basu is a multilingual, award-winning editor and the founder of the intersectional literature channel, How To Be Books. She was shortlisted for the Guardian Mary Stott Prize and longlisted for the Guardian International Development Journalism Award. With 18 years of experience in the media industry, Suswati has held significant roles such as head of audience and deputy editor for NationalWorld news, digital editor for Channel 4 News and ITV News. She has also contributed to the Guardian and received training at the BBC As an audience, trends, and SEO specialist, she has participated in panel events alongside Google. Her…

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