One Bored Ape Yacht Club (BAYC) owner shared an alarming encounter where they narrowly avoided falling victim to a potential scam orchestrated by an imposter posing as a Forbes reporter.
The NFT collector known as “Crumz” recounted the incident on November 27, revealing how someone impersonating a real Forbes editor, Robert LaFanco, initiated contact via direct message from a faked account. The imposter proposed an interview about BAYC for a purported article. During this conversation, the scammer requested permission to record the interview and prompted Crumz to click a button to allow access. Despite noticing certain suspicious signs like using a non-premium Zoom account and wanting a separate recording bot for screen capture, Crumz complied.
As the conversation unfolded, the imposter diverted Crumz's attention by suggesting he say something similar to his BAYC character, mentioning the word "banana." It later became apparent that this was a ploy to distract Crumz from his computer, enabling the scammer to seize control and potentially steal assets.
Recognizing the suspicious activity, Crumz stayed vigilant and eventually observed the scammer attempting to take over his screen. Reacting swiftly, Crumz blocked the scammer's access, preventing any further intrusion into his system. This cautionary tale was shared by cryptocurrency casino Rollbit partner borowik.eth with their 140,000 followers on X, cautioning them about the scam tactics used.
The warning also highlighted a fake profile named Robert LaFranco, pretending to be an assistant managing editor at Forbes. This individual reportedly attempted to deceive others into granting access to their computers, purportedly to steal valuable NFTs. Incidents like these echo previous scams detailed by blockchain security firm Slowmist, describing cases where victims lost crypto assets to bogus journalists.
Similarly, another account highlighted how a fake Bloomberg reporter managed to deceive a user into clicking on a "consent" link, resulting in the draining of their account. Notably, some observers in the industry noted that scammers on X often adopt BAYC profile pictures, advising caution when encountering such profiles.
