Patreon Support said it has identified the problem and is working to address “affected accounts” as crypto users continue to receive unsolicited spam.
Crypto users across social media have sounded the alarm over a new spate of crypto-themed phishing emails seemingly sent from content creator platform Patreon.
According to reports on social media platforms X and Reddit, crypto users have been getting their email addresses signed up for Patreon by scammers who would then sign them up for malicious emails from fake crypto projects on the platform.
Reports of the attempted phishing attacks began to appear on Jan. 23, with users reporting that they received fake airdrop offers from Patreon creators impersonating Chainlink, Solana, Manta Network and Sui.
In a Jan. 25 X post, Patreon Support told a concerned crypto community member that it had identified and resolved the problem, which involved an issue with “email verification and a follow-up from a crypto account falsely claiming to be a Patreon creator,” adding that affected accounts are being addressed.
A screenshot of an email reportedly sent from Patreon also sheds more light, explaining the scam emails were sent as part of a “malicious coordinated attempt” to access users’ cryptocurrency wallets and that the problem has since been fixed.
However, several other X users have continued to report receiving scam emails over the last four days.
“I deleted 6 Patreon emails today, all talking about a ‘Manta’ airdrop,” said u/PhaseEquivalent3529 in a Jan. 28 Reddit post in the r/CryptoCurrency thread.
“Clearly, the additional protections are working well,” said u/fdlowe in the same thread.
Cointelegraph reached out to Patreon for comment but did not receive an immediate reply.
Over 324,000 cryptocurrency users fell victim to phishing scams in 2023, with total losses of $295 million, according to the blockchain security platform Scam Sniffer.