The Pocketpair-created game phenomenon, Palworld, has quickly gained popularity, with over 19 million players in just two weeks. But among the festivities, a worrying problem has surfaced: a phony Palworld account, complete with the official X checkmark, is trying to trick players into falling for a possible NFT fraud.

The False Post

Players may notice a comment in Japanese that appears to be authentic while scrolling through the official Palworld account’s festive X post. This reply promotes a new Palworld NFT. The misleading two-part response entices users to connect their cryptocurrency wallets to an official-looking website in exchange for in-game incentives and exclusive Palworld items.

The Skillful Mask

The phony account has taken considerable care to look authentic. The description is an accurate translation into Japanese of the official English account. The yellow checkmark, which is normally only applied to official organizations and their affiliate accounts on X, adds another degree of deceit.

Exposing the Scam

On closer study, though, the trick becomes apparent. A popup box indicating its association with the official Japanese Palworld account appears when you click on the yellow checkmark of the official English Palworld account. NFTs are not mentioned in the official account, which proclaimed the 19 million player milestone in Japanese. In addition, the fake account has less than 1500 followers and uses “Palworlds_JP” as its username rather than the actual “Palworld_JP.”

Warning Signs

Unfortunately, attempts to deceive players with fictitious NFT promos are not uncommon. Although frauds using fictitious identities are not unusual, this one is particularly serious because it appears that X (previously Twitter) permitted a false account, bearing its coveted “golden checkmark,” to perhaps take advantage of gamers of the year’s biggest hit game.

Players need to be on the lookout for potential scams as Palworld’s popularity soars. It is imperative to confirm the legitimacy of official accounts, particularly those endorsing NFTs or other transactions, in order to provide a secure and entertaining gaming experience. The incident serves as a sobering reminder of the difficulties presented by online fraud and the requirement that platforms strengthen security protocols in order to safeguard their user bases.