Fake Banksy NFT sells for more than $336,000 in bizarre hoax
Call him Fake-Sy.
It was only a matter of time before hoaxes came to the world of non-fungible tokens and only a matter of time before one of the world’s most-famous and reclusive artists was unknowingly at the center of it all.
A collector, who oddly enough goes by the name Pranksy, bought what was described as Banksy’s first NFT only to later learn it was a scam, according to The Guardian.
Pranksy shelled out more than $336,000 for a unique piece titled “Great Redistribution of the Climate Change Disaster” on Open Sea, one of the most-popular NFT marketplaces.
Strangely enough, Banksy’s official site had a piece with the same name listed as an NFT on his website but the listing was deleted, presumably after his team was made aware of a hack.
However, after Pranksy saw the work, which shows a figure smoking in front of some industrial architecture, the red flags piled up quickly, especially when his opening bid was accepted immediately.
“The fact it was hosted on banksy.co.uk was my reason for bidding,” Pranksy told The Guardian. “I presumed it was a three-day auction and when my bid was accepted I pretty much knew then it must be fake.”
He later had his money (in the form of 100 ethereum cryptocurrency tokens) returned, minus a transaction fee.
The pseudonymous artist’s representatives did not disclose how or why this all happened but denied any involvement.
“The artist Banksy has not created any NFT artworks,” Pest Control said in a statement. “Any Banksy NFT auctions are not affiliated with the artist in any shape or form.”
