Scammers Pose as Tyler Hobbs to Push Fake QQL NFT Mint
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Scammers set up multiple accounts on X posing as generative artist Tyler Hobbs to market a QQL NFT mint that the project never reopened, according to Blockonomi. Quit, vice president of blockchain at Yuga Labs, raised the alarm on Oct. 20, saying one person had already lost funds to the scheme while a second was spared because of the Pocket Universe security tool.
Quit’s post stated that QQL minting had not reopened and asked users to stay away from the impersonating accounts. Crypto.news reported the same warning and noted that Quit labeled the accounts as fakes without naming them or attaching screenshots. Neither outlet’s account of the reported theft has been independently verified, and no wallet addresses, transaction hashes or loss estimates were disclosed.
Key facts
- Quit (@0xQuit), Yuga Labs’ VP of blockchain, posted the warning on X on Oct. 19, 2026; both outlets reported it on Oct. 20.
- The fake posts promoted a Dutch auction of 900 QQL Mint Passes opening at 50 ETH, which matches the project’s September 2022 launch terms.
- In 2022, Hobbs and co-creator Dandelion Mané sold 900 passes starting at 50 ETH, closing at 14 ETH each and raising 12,600 ETH, roughly $16.7 million at the time.
- QQL’s documentation lists the official Mint Pass contract as 0xc73B17179Bf0C59cD5860Bb25247D1D1092c1088 for verification on Etherscan.
- Per Crypto.news, the 2022 auction used a rebate mechanism so bidders who bid higher paid the final clearing price; QQL documents do not say whether the attackers copied the full 2022 promotion or only these details.
What the fake sale recycled
The fraudulent messages claimed ties to the original creators, but no new auction appears in the project’s official materials. QQL priced its first sale as a Dutch auction in September 2022: 900 of the collection’s planned 999 passes went to the public, with the remaining 99 reserved for other uses, and the sale cleared in under an hour. The supply and opening-price figures in the fake posts mirror those numbers exactly.
QQL, built with Mané, lets collectors browse outputs from a generative algorithm before committing to one. Each pass may be used once, the pass is burned on minting, and the resulting NFT joins the permanent collection. The pass rights do not lapse, so holders can still create official artwork; Quit’s warning addressed only the false claim of a fresh public sale.
How a drain may have unfolded
Quit did not describe the victim’s path — whether a counterfeit site was visited, a malicious contract approved or another signature given. Crypto.news reported that it remains unclear how the attack worked, and Blockonomi said the same. The FBI warned in an August 2023 advisory that criminals impersonate NFT developers, sometimes cloning or hijacking accounts, manufacturing urgency and steering victims to lookalike sites where wallet connections authorize contracts that can move assets.
Blockonomi noted a comparable pattern on Oct. 5, when security firm Salus flagged malicious USDG approvals tied to Revenue in which funds moved in the same transaction that granted permission. Crypto.news added that Salus saw stolen funds split across two addresses in a pattern resembling a drainer service, without confirming shared infrastructure. Some approvals remain live until revoked, letting contracts act long after the first interaction.
Why it matters
Impersonation aimed at a named artist exploits the trust collectors place in creators, and the reuse of real 2022 auction terms makes a fabricated sale look routine to anyone who does not cross-check official sources. For QQL holders the practical position is unchanged — legitimate minting continues — but the episode shows how quickly a fake “reopening” can spread during a quiet period for a project. Verifying the contract address before any purchase separates genuine passes from counterfeits.
What to watch
No recovery has been reported and no addresses tied to the scam have been published. Confirmation of a drain, revocation guidance for affected wallets, or takedowns of the impersonating accounts would be the next concrete signals; until then, treat claims of a QQL reopening as unverified unless the official contract address checks out.
Disclaimer: This article is for information only and is not investment, financial or trading advice. Cryptocurrency prices are highly volatile. Always do your own research.
Sources: Blockonomi, Crypto.news
