Metallica have issued a warning to fans to be on the lookout for band-themed cryptocurrency scams, a number of which have sprung up in the wake of the announcement of new studio album, 72 Seasons.
The news follows reports that a a 51-year-old Manhattan man was scammed into transferring approximately $25,500 of Bitcoin (opens in new tab) to an unknown suspect by a fake Metallica YouTube channel.
The band wrote: “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. 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’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 statement then proceeded to list Metallica’s official social media accounts, before offering some final advice: “Be familiar with the symbols that indicate an official channel and report anything that is a scam!”
The r/Metallica Reddit (opens in new tab) channel has been monitoring the activity, which uses fake URLs and account names and promises to double peoples’ BitCoin investments “to celebrate the new album and tour”. Several fans have reportedly been taken in by the scam.
