The official X account for the heavy metal band Metallica was hacked, with the perpetrators using the breach to promote a Solana token with the ticker METAL.
Metallica’s team has since regained control of the account and deleted all posts referencing the token.
The hacked account initially posted about the token on June 26, falsely claiming it was made in partnership with Ticketmaster. In reality, the token was launched on the Solana-based platform pump.fun.
Ticketmaster did not announce any such partnership and did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Posts from Metallica’s account also claimed that fintech firm MoonPay was involved with the token. MoonPay president Keith Grossman refuted this in a post on X, stating, “MoonPay does NOT support METAL.”
MoonPay later posted on X: “If someone is offering you a METAL token, they are not the master of puppets — they’re the master of scams!,” referencing the band’s hit 1986 album and single.
A series of subsequent posts, seemingly aimed at attracting buyers, claimed users could exchange their METAL tokens for exclusive items such as “free concert tickets,” custom gaming consoles, and merchandise.
One post even suggested that the token would offer staking rewards.
According to Dexscreener data, the total value of the METAL token briefly peaked at $3.37 million approximately 20 minutes after its launch.
The value of the METAL token has since plummeted, dropping to a total market capitalization of $90,000 less than three hours after reaching its peak.
The price of the METAL token has also plummeted nearly 100% from its high, which it reached shortly after Metallica’s account shared the token.
It is unclear how Metallica’s account was breached. The band and its management team were not immediately available for comment.