Metallicais warning its fans not to fall for a series of cryptocurrency scams surrounding last week’s announcement of its forthcoming album, “72 Seasons.”
The veteran Bay Area hard rock band said that several imposter YouTube accounts using its name are tricking people with fake giveaways.
“In the wake of last week’s exciting news of our new song, new album, and new tour, unfortunately, the ugly side of social media made an appearance,” read anInstagram postfrom Metallica’s official account. “Many of you have let us know about YouTube channels and live streams, as well as websites, claiming to offer Metallica Crypto giveaways in conjunction with last week’s announcement.
“Let’s be as clear as possible. These are scams.”
The band’s post came after a 51-year-old Kansas manwas reportedly scammedby a fake Metallica YouTube channel into transferring approximately $25,500 of Bitcoin to an unknown person, according to WIBV-TV.
The band’s advisory went on to note that “all of our official social media channels are verified” and that fans should check for “official verification before believing something wild and crazy to be true.”
— Metallica (@Metallica)December 6, 2022
The forthcoming “72 Seasons” is expected to be available in multiple formats on April 14.The band plans to support the album with a two-year M72 world tour that includes two-night stints in each city the band visits, including No Repeat Weekend sets featuring two different set lists and opening act lineups. There are no Bay Area dates currently on the schedule.
Two-day tickets — with discounts for fans younger than age 16 — are on sale now, while single-day tickets will be available beginning Jan. 20. The band emphasized the only place to get passes for the concerts ismetallica.com/m72-info.
“Be familiar with the symbols that indicate an official channel and report anything that is a scam!” Metallica said.
Earlier this year, the U.S. Federal Trade Commission issued awarningabout the rise of cryptocurrency scams. The bulletin said that since 2021, more than 46,000 people have reported losing more than $1 billion in crypto to scams. It added that $4 out of every $10 reported lost to a fraud originating on social media was lost in crypto, “far more than any other payment method.”
@Metallica@YouTube
You have someone faking a crypto give away using your name. Someone needs to get on this fastpic.twitter.com/QSC3Aj6w2P— Ya Boi Matt (@Matt_Bone_)December 4, 2022
https://t.co/6NiCES5I5mis offering a#Cryptogiveaway to everyone around the world. This site is misusing the name of the@Metallicaband. It is a#scamhttps://t.co/wBZLdSn5eK#ScamAlert#wisdomganga#Investment#investmentscampic.twitter.com/eVJKoPCy0s
— Wisdom Ganga (@GangaWisdom)November 30, 2022