Key Takeaways:
Telegram mini-app Hamster Kombat has spread like wildfire, attracting about 150 million players worldwide in a matter of months who took part in its clicker game and earned tokens that can be exchanged for its native HAMSTER coin, scheduled to be airdropped next month.
The game revolves around a hamster that heads a virtual cryptocurrency exchange. Players, who manage the platform, are asked to repeatedly click on the screen to earn in-game digital currency. They get to test out different trading strategies that help upgrade their levels and earnings.
Hamster Kombat’s developers have promised players that the in-game tokens they earn can be exchanged for the ecosystem’s native cryptocurrency, allowing conversions into real money.
TON Network’s TVL Surges to $650 Million Following the Success of Telegram-Based P2E Games
The game is deployed on The Open Network (TON), which has experienced significant growth over the past months, propelling its total value locked to unprecedented levels. As per a report by DefiLlama, the blockchain’s TVL has surged from $152 million in April to a whopping $649 million as of June.
This impressive growth is mainly attributed to TON’s integration with Telegram, and the recent introduction of play-to-earn (P2E) clicker games like Notcoin, Hamster Kombat, and Blum, which significantly boosted the network’s popularity.
Data indicates there has been a major rise in usage and wallet activation on TON. Over 9 million users have created wallets on the network, with an average of 49,000 new activations daily. It boasts over 4.8 million monthly active wallets.
Hackers Are Targeting TON Users With Phishing Attacks
However, reports are surfacing that the fast-rising blockchain is under increasing threat from phishing attacks.
Yu Xian, the founder of blockchain security firm SlowMist, said that TON’s free and open nature is turning it into a fertile ground for scammers. He noted hackers are using the Telegram ecosystem to share phishing links on message groups and airdrops to loot the TON wallets of unsuspecting users.
Xian pointed out that Telegram accounts not linked to any SIM card face a higher risk of being a target of phishing attacks. He said when accounts registered with anonymous numbers are phished, the corresponding Telegram account may also be lost unless the user has set up an independent password or enabled two-step verification for additional security.
Phishing scams are one of the most common deceptive methods used by hackers in the crypto space. It involves the bad actor impersonating a legitimate platform to steal sensitive data and gain access to their victims’ crypto wallets.
In the case of TON, hackers are leveraging Wallet Drainers, which is a type of malware often used on phishing websites to trick victims into signing malicious transactions that siphon off digital assets into the drainer operator’s wallets.
Hackers Are Preying On Hamster Kombat Players With Wallet Drainers
Russian cybersecurity firm F.A.C.C.T recently discovered that hackers are also targeting Hamster Kombat players.
Earlier this week, security researchers revealed a campaign where scammers were trying to take over players’ accounts by asking them to log in to a fake Hamster Kombat bot and sign a transaction that would drain their TON wallets of all HAMSTER tokens.
Hardware wallet provider Keystone reiterated that TON hackers are also employing some other widely used phishing methods such as zero-amount transfers and airdropping NFTs to target addresses.
Authorities Issue Warnings About The Risk Of Hamster Kombat
Government officials in countries where Telegram is popular, including Russia, Uzbekistan, and Ukraine, are asking users to stay away from the crypto game.
Russian officials have labeled Hamster Kombat a “pyramid scheme”, citing potential financial risks to players due to its promises of easy earnings. They have flagged the game as dangerous for children.
Irina Volynets, the commissioner for children’s rights in the Russian state of Tatarstan, said that the goal of the game’s creators was not to entertain but to make money, including from advertising.
Earlier this month, media outlets reported a case where the parents of a 14-year-old boy reached out to psychiatrists for help after their son had seemingly become addicted to Hamster Kombat. The kid was setting an alarm every three hours to score maximum points in the game.
In Uzbekistan, authorities are threatening players with 15 days of detention or a fine if they make any attempts to withdraw the HAMSTER token to crypto exchanges and swap it for real money. The country has tight restrictions when it comes to the purchase, sale, or exchange of cryptocurrencies.
The co-founder of Hamster Kombat is Russian IT entrepreneur Eduard Gurinovich, who is also the founder of CarPrice – an online platform for selling vehicles. The game’s official website is registered with RU-CENTER – a major domain name registry in Russia.
Ukrainian authorities have flagged the game as dangerous, asking players to delete it as it poses a threat to national security due to its links to Russia.
Despite the apparent setbacks, Hamster Kombat continues to grow in popularity. Its Telegram account has nearly 39 million followers, while its YouTube channel and X page have 25 million and 8.5 million followers, respectively.
