Sad but true? Metallica have issued a warning to fans regarding some apparent cryptocurrency giveaway scams that have been popping up following last week's announcement of their new album, 72 Seasons.
A slew of fake account names and URLs posting in the r/Metallica Reddit community have been promising to double people's bitcoin investments in celebration of the album and tour news. One 51-year-old Manhattan man was reportedly scammed into transferring $25,500 USD worth of bitcoin to an unknown suspect running a fake Metallica YouTube channel.
"In the wake of last week's exciting news of our new song, new album, and new tour, unfortunately the ugly side of social media made an appearance," the band wrote in a statement on Instagram. "Many of you have let us know about YouTube channels and live streams, as well as websites, claiming to offer Metallica Crypto giveaways in conjunction with last week's announcement.
"Let's be as clear as possible. These are scams," they continued. "They're being streamed on fake YouTube channels posing to be ours and all pointing to websites that we do not run. Please remember — all of our official social media channels are verified. Always look for official verification before believing something wild and crazy to be true. We thank all of you who have been vigilant in reporting these live streams to YouTube and to us… please don't let up! …"
The post concluded, "Be familiar with the symbols that indicate an official channel and report anything that is a scam!"
This news follows Lars Ulrich's disbelief that 72 Seasons hadn't leaked. A Metallica album cycle simply can't know peace.
A slew of fake account names and URLs posting in the r/Metallica Reddit community have been promising to double people's bitcoin investments in celebration of the album and tour news. One 51-year-old Manhattan man was reportedly scammed into transferring $25,500 USD worth of bitcoin to an unknown suspect running a fake Metallica YouTube channel.
"In the wake of last week's exciting news of our new song, new album, and new tour, unfortunately the ugly side of social media made an appearance," the band wrote in a statement on Instagram. "Many of you have let us know about YouTube channels and live streams, as well as websites, claiming to offer Metallica Crypto giveaways in conjunction with last week's announcement.
"Let's be as clear as possible. These are scams," they continued. "They're being streamed on fake YouTube channels posing to be ours and all pointing to websites that we do not run. Please remember — all of our official social media channels are verified. Always look for official verification before believing something wild and crazy to be true. We thank all of you who have been vigilant in reporting these live streams to YouTube and to us… please don't let up! …"
The post concluded, "Be familiar with the symbols that indicate an official channel and report anything that is a scam!"
This news follows Lars Ulrich's disbelief that 72 Seasons hadn't leaked. A Metallica album cycle simply can't know peace.