Fraudulent Activities Targeting QQL NFTs
Reports have emerged indicating that fraudsters have been posing as Tyler Hobbs, a prominent generative artist, in an attempt to promote a bogus minting event for QQL NFTs. A warning issued by the Vice President of Blockchain at Yuga Labs, Quit, highlighted that multiple accounts are misrepresenting Hobbs and deceptively announcing that the minting process for the Ethereum-based QQL project had been reopened.
“Please note, QQL minting is still closed,” Quit stated in a post on X, mentioning he knew of at least one user who fell victim to the scam, with their digital wallet compromised.
One individual managed to avoid a similar fate thanks to the protective measures provided by a security tool known as Pocket Universe.
Details of the Scam
The impersonators have allegedly promoted a false Dutch auction featuring 900 QQL Mint Passes, claiming an enticing starting price of 50 ETH. The messages falsely connected this offering to partnerships with the original creators of the project, despite no official auction being mentioned in the legitimate project communications.
This fraudulent scheme mimicked the details of QQL’s launch in 2022 when 900 Mint Passes were sold through a genuine Dutch auction starting at 50 ETH, ultimately closing at 14 ETH per pass within an hour and generating significant revenue—approximately $16.7 million at the time. Unlike typical NFT sales that provide immediate artworks upon purchase, QQL allows collectors to select from several generated artworks before deciding which one to mint.
About QQL and Its Unique Offerings
Launched by Hobbs and Dandelion Mané in September 2022, QQL offers holders of Mint Passes the unique opportunity to turn selected outputs from a generative algorithm into authenticated NFTs. Each of the 999 passes enables the holder to mint one official artwork, which is then destroyed post-use, becoming part of a permanent collection.
Community Warnings and Precautions
While the impersonation attempts have raised concerns, no verifiable evidence of the theft has surfaced—such as wallet addresses or transaction details to confirm the loss. The scam has drawn attention due to the alarming trend of individuals costing NFTs through deceptive social media activities, which the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has previously warned about.
In an advisory from August 2023, the FBI cautioned that criminals often create counterfeit social media accounts or hack legitimate NFT developers to swindle crypto assets from buyers. Victims may be led to counterfeit sites resembling authentic project pages, where they might unknowingly grant malicious smart contracts access to their digital assets when prompted to approve transactions.
Recent reports have detailed similar instances within the cryptocurrency realm, demonstrating how attackers exploit granted permissions to drain wallets immediately after obtaining approvals.
Official Guidance for Collectors
To counter these fraud attempts, the QQL official website continues to direct collectors to verified links for acquiring passes while also reminding users of the existence of counterfeit Mint Pass collections. Potential buyers are advised to vet any purchases, checking contract addresses against those listed on Etherscan to validate authenticity.
A recent post by Quit explicitly identified account impersonation as the method employed by these scammers and urged the community to remain vigilant against such schemes.
