According to reports, Toy manufacturer LEGO Group removed a cryptocurrency scam from its homepage after its website was briefly hacked on October 5. The fraud, labeled “LEGO Coin,” appeared briefly before being discovered by a LEGO enthusiast on X (formerly Twitter).
LEGO Coin Scam Discovered by Fans
A user “The Brick Fan” was one of the first to notice the suspicious message. He wrote in the X post: “LEGO Shop Hacked by Crypto Scam. It looks like the LEGO Shop has been hacked and is hit with a crypto scam.”
The message from the scammer encouraged visitors to buy the so-called LEGO Coin, promising “secret rewards” to those who participated. The scammer wrote the message on the LEGO homepage message: “Our new LEGO Coin is officially out! Buy the LEGO Coin today and unlock secret rewards!”
However, the “Buy Now” button under the message was a gate for the LEGO Coin scam, leading users to a phishing site instead of an official LEGO page. Those who clicked were likely at risk of having their personal information stolen.
LEGO Responds to the Incident
LEGO has yet to issue an official public statement, but the LEGO coin scam and phishing links have already been removed from the website. According to a statement provided to consumer tech site Engadget, LEGO reportedly confirmed the LEGO Coin scam had only been visible for a brief time, and no user accounts were compromised.
“The issue has been resolved. No user accounts have been compromised, and customers can continue shopping as usual,” LEGO reportedly told Engadget. The company added, “The cause has been identified, and we are implementing measures to prevent this from happening again.”
The scam first appeared on LEGO’s homepage at 1:00 AM UTC on October 5 and was taken down approximately 75 minutes later, according to “mescad,” a moderator of the popular “lego” subreddit. Subreddit “mescard” warned that “Lego is not releasing cryptocurrency. This is a scam and you should avoid it.”
History of LEGO And Cryptocurrency
This is not the first time LEGO has been linked to digital currency. In March 2021, LEGO hinted at a possible foray into the nonfungible token (NFT) space. In a now-deleted post, LEGO’s X account featured a 14-second clip of a 3D LEGO brick spinning in space, accompanied by the hashtag #NFT. While the post was soon taken down, it suggested the company was exploring new digital frontiers.
LEGO Group’s parent company, KIRKBI, has also shown interest in the digital space. In April 2022, KIRKBI invested $1 billion in video game company Epic Games to accelerate its development of the Metaverse.
Cryptocurrency Scams on the Rise
The LEGO Coin scam is part of a larger trend of cryptocurrency fraud. Blockchain security firm Scam Sniffer reports that scammers stole $127 million from victims in the third quarter of 2024 alone. Of that amount, $46 million was taken in September, underscoring the growing threat of cyberattacks in the crypto space.
LEGO’s swift response to the hack shows the company is taking the issue seriously, but it highlights the ever-increasing risks of online scams.
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