NEAR Blockchain’s Fake-Hack Marketing Ploy Hits a Sour Note

Emily Nicolle spends way too much time scrolling through social media in a search for what makes a good — or bad — crypto marketing campaign.

Late on a warm, sunny Wednesday evening in Switzerland, an X account belonging to a blockchain network called NEAR Protocol unexpectedly changed its display name to “it’s all a lie.” A series of posts quickly followed, labelling cryptocurrencies as “scams” and telling readers to “delete your blockchains because the house of cards is coming down.”