Beautiful Virgin Islands

Tuesday, Jun 03, 2025

Collector buys fake Banksy NFT for £244,000

Collector buys fake Banksy NFT for £244,000

Collector known as Pranksy has cryptocurrency returned after what appeared to be elaborate hoax
In hindsight, it looked too good to be true: the chance to buy Banksy’s first foray into the lucrative world of non-fungible tokens (NFTs) for only a fraction of his soaring market prices.

The piece (called Great Redistribution of the Climate Change Disaster) did enough to convince a buyer – confusingly named Pranksy – to pay the equivalent of hundreds of thousands of pounds only to have the currency returned after what appeared to be an elaborate hoax by a scammer.

It has also been called a publicity stunt, but whatever the motivations the incident has shone a light on the vulnerabilities of NFT trading, which has already been criticised by artists who say their work has been sold without their knowledge or consent.

The image – which features a figure smoking in front of some industrial chimneys in an apparent comment on the climate impact of digital currency and art – was put up for sale on the Open Sea platform, the “eBay of NFTs”.

Banksy’s official site did have a since-deleted page called NFT, which included a link to an auction site selling a piece of the same name.

It didn’t look anything like a Banksy, but the fraudulent link convinced Pranksy – who is known for his collection of NBA Top Shots NFTs – to bid the equivalent of £244,000 in cryptocurrency. He said he knew he had been scammed when the bid was immediately accepted.

“The fact it was hosted on banksy.co.uk was my reason for bidding,” Pranksy said. “I presumed it was a three-day auction and when my bid was accepted I pretty much knew then it must be fake.”

He says the seller eventually returned all the money with the exception of the transaction fee of around £5,000.

The incident undermines one of the things that make NFTs so attractive: the fact that they offer cryptographically secure authenticity. But the problem is that authenticity is dependent on the seller being who they say they are.

Other artists, including Damien Hirst, have embraced the NFT market, but some have had their work sold without permission, and Banksy’s team were quick to distance the artist from the fake. “The artist Banksy has not created any NFT artworks,” his team said in a statement, without explaining how his site was compromised.

The fact that some NFT services make it easy to “tokenise” other people’s content has worried artists. For example, some let users turn any tweet into a tradable digital asset, while artworks have become a popular items for tokenisation.

Pranksy, says that despite his name he wouldn’t conduct a hoax which “could damage any future potential to chat with Banksy’s team or any other fine artists about NFTs”. Instead he says the hoax, and quick return of the money, point to someone who could be looking to make a bigger point: by highlighting the vulnerabilities of NFT trading.

“I did not expect anything to be returned, it seems the hacker had more intentions than money,” said Pranksy. When asked what those motivations could be he added “to point out the vulnerabilities in the website and with validation within NFTs?”.

Banksy’s work has been the subject of NFT controversy before. The Burned Banksy NFT was sold for around £300,000 and featured an image of a Banksy print titled Morons. Originally sold in an edition of 500, the tokenised print was publicly burned as the token was minted, which its creators argued “moved the value of the physical piece on to the NFT”.

Pranksy said he hoped to hear back from Banksy’s team about his website’s security and if it was hacked, but added the incident had not dampened his enthusiasm for NFTs.

He said: “I’ve not lost faith in NFTs after the incident. I’ll just get a little less excited when I see one linked via an artist’s website.”
Newsletter

Related Articles

Beautiful Virgin Islands
0:00
0:00
Close
China Accuses US of Violating Trade Truce
Panama Port Owner Balances US-China Pressures
France Implements Nationwide Outdoor Smoking Ban to Protect Children
German Chancellor Merz Keeps Putin Guessing on Missile Strategy
Mandelson Criticizes UK's 'Fetish' for Abandoning EU Regulations
British Fishing Boat Owner Fined €30,000 by French Authorities
Dutch government falls as far-right leader Wilders quits coalition
Harvard Urges US to Unfreeze Funds for Public Health Research
Businessman Mauled by Lion at Luxury Namibian Lodge
Researchers Consider New Destinations Beyond the U.S.
53-Year-Old Doctor Claims Biological Age of 23
Trump Struggles to Secure Trade Deals With China and Europe
Russia to Return 6,000 Corpses Under Ukraine Prisoner Swap Deal
Microsoft Lays Off Hundreds More Amid Restructuring
Harvey Weinstein’s Publicist Embraces Notoriety
Macron and Meloni Seek Unity Despite Tensions
Trump Administration Accused of Obstructing Deportation Cases
Newark Mayor Sues Over Arrest at Immigration Facility
Center-Left Candidate Projected to Win South Korean Presidency
Trump’s Tariffs Predicted to Stall Global Economic Growth
South Korea’s President-Elect Expected to Take Softer Line on Trump and North Korea
Trump’s China Strategy Remains a Geopolitical Puzzle
Ukraine Executes Long-Range Drone Strikes on Russian Airbases
Conservative Karol Nawrocki wins Poland’s presidential election
Study Identifies Potential Radicalization Risk Among Over One Million Muslims in Germany
Good news: Annalena Baerbock Elected President of the UN General Assembly
Apple Appeals EU Law Over User Data Sharing Requirements
South Africa: "First Black Bank" Collapses after Being Looted by Owners
Poland will now withdraw from the EU migration pact after pro-Trump nationalist wins Election
"That's Disgusting, Don’t Say It Again": The Trump Joke That Made the President Boil
Trump Cancels NASA Nominee Over Democratic Donations
Paris Saint-Germain's Greatest Triumph Is Football’s Lowest Point
OnlyFans for Sale: From Lockdown Lifeline to Eight-Billion-Dollar Empire
Mayor’s Security Officer Implicated | Shocking New Details Emerge in NYC Kidnapping Case
Hegseth Warns of Potential Chinese Military Action Against Taiwan
OPEC+ Agrees to Increase Oil Output for Third Consecutive Month
Jamie Dimon Warns U.S. Bond Market Faces Pressure from Rising Debt
Turkey Detains Istanbul Officials Amid Anti-Corruption Crackdown
Taylor Swift Gains Ownership of Her First Six Albums
Bangkok Ranked World's Top City for Remote Work in 2025
Satirical Sketch Sparks Political Spouse Feud in South Korea
Indonesia Quarry Collapse Leaves Multiple Dead and Missing
South Korean Election Video Pulled Amid Misogyny Outcry
Asian Economies Shift Away from US Dollar Amid Trade Tensions
Netflix Investigates Allegations of On-Set Mistreatment in K-Drama Production
US Defence Chief Reaffirms Strong Ties with Singapore Amid Regional Tensions
Vietnam Faces Strategic Dilemma Over China's Mekong River Projects
Malaysia's First AI Preacher Sparks Debate on Islamic Principles
White House Press Secretary Criticizes Harvard Funding, Advocates for Vocational Training
France to Implement Nationwide Smoking Ban in Outdoor Spaces Frequented by Children
×