Recently, the official Instagram account of popular actor Tom Holland fell victim to a hacking incident. The hackers exploited his platform, which boasts over 7 million followers, to promote a bogus cryptocurrency and NFT (Non-Fungible Token) scheme. The compromised account was used to announce an alleged collaboration with the global cryptocurrency exchange Binance, supposedly introducing “Spiderverse” tokens. Followers were directed to a fraudulent website, luring them with promises of early access to the fictitious SPIDER cryptocurrency and Spiderverse NFTs.
Questionable Bio Changes
Not only did the attackers post misleading information, but they also made alterations to Holland’s bio, including a link to the fake partnership website. Additionally, a mysterious selfie of an unknown individual with curly hair, potentially the hacker, surfaced on the actor’s profile. The picture was accompanied by a caption referencing an iconic scene from the original Spider-Man movie. Although the post was initially pinned on his profile, it has since been removed.
The timing of the hack, coinciding with the re-release of Sam Raimi’s 2002 Spider-Man film in select theaters on April 15, added an extra layer of intrigue to the situation. Fans had various reactions to the incident, with some expressing relief that Holland had not genuinely endorsed the crypto scheme, while others made jokes about the situation. One user humorously remarked about the missed opportunity to fake tease “Spider-Man 4,” while another expressed relief at not losing their beloved web-slinger to an elaborate crypto scam.
Although Tom Holland’s association with the “Spiderverse” promotion turned out to be fabricated, it is worth noting that Marvel has previously delved into the cryptocurrency realm. In late 2021, AMC collaborated with Sony Pictures to offer NFTs to early ticket purchasers of Holland’s “Spider-Man: No Way Home.” This strategy significantly contributed to the film’s tremendous success, generating over $1.9 billion in revenue and resulting in AMC’s second-highest one-day ticket sales record. In 2022, AMC Theatres even allowed customers to pay for tickets online using popular meme coins like Dogecoin and Shiba Inu.
Marvel’s NFT Collaborations
VeVe, a NFT company based in New Zealand, has also joined forces with Marvel to release Spider-Man NFTs, including the oldest Marvel comic book from 1939. Moreover, VeVe recently introduced NFT comics featuring iconic Marvel superheroes like Spider-Man and the X-Men, all powered by Ethereum technology. Marvel’s foray into the world of cryptocurrency and NFTs demonstrates the entertainment industry’s shifting landscape towards embracing blockchain technology.
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