Time: 2024-08-22
McDonald 's Instagram account was reportedly compromised to promote a Solana - based memecoin called GRIMACE . The token quickly surged to a market capitalization of around 0 million before plummeting to below million , according to pump.fun data . The Instagram post promoting GRIMACE has since been deleted , but it initially presented the token as a McDonald 's experiment on Solana . Additionally , the fast food chain 's Instagram profile appeared to have been altered , with a message claiming thank you for the 00,000 in Solana and referencing a rug pull.
This incident is the latest in a string of hacks targeting social media accounts of prominent firms and celebrities , typically those with tens of millions of followers . These hacks often promote Solana - based meme coins , exploiting the large audience reach of these high - profile accounts . Earlier this year , the X ( formerly Twitter ) account of Google 's cybersecurity firm Mandiant was hijacked to promote a cryptocurrency scam . The attackers took over the account , posing as the legitimate crypto wallet Phantom , and used the compromised account to tweet out a series of promotions directing users to a scam website.
American rapper and singer Doja Cat also had her X account hacked in July , where it was used to promote a Solana - based meme coin . The hacker removed Doja Cat 's profile picture and description , posting over two dozen tweets to her 5.6 million followers . Doja Cat quickly addressed the situation on Instagram , informing her 24 million followers that she was not behind the cryptocurrency tweets . The incident led to a series of tweets about other celebrities , including Iggy Azalea , who responded to the hack with a tweet defending her friendship with Doja Cat and warning hackers.
McDonald 's ' Instagram account was hacked , causing the brand to quickly shut down the attack - but not before fast food lovers caught the bizarre changes . Screenshots show the McDonald 's profile bio was changed to a strange message about crypto before the Instagram was restored back to normal . The reported hackers also shared two posts to the page , including a music video , before the fast food chain regained control of the account . Solana is a cryptocurrency network . The since - deleted posts promoted a meme token called GRIMACE , calling it " a McDonald 's experiment on Solana . " Grimace is an iconic purple McDonald 's character who has been the subject of viral memes and trends over the past few years , including the chain 's own Grimace - themed milkshake.
In crypto , a rug pull is a type of scam where fake crypto or NFT projects are set up for fraud . After promoting the project and collecting funds , the developers suddenly cash out - causing the token 's value to plummet . McDonald 's fans are sharing their shock at the incident in the comments of the restaurant 's latest post . " I just lost it all on the grimace coin , " one lamented . " Imagine getting rugged by McDonalds , " another said . " Give me my Solana back , " another demanded.
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