Cybercriminals are exploiting the rising popularity of the AI project OpenClaw to conduct phishing campaigns and steal cryptocurrencies from developers, according to cybersecurity firm OX Security.
According to their report, scammers created fake accounts on GitHub, initiated discussions in controlled repositories, and tagged dozens of other users, informing them they had been selected to receive $5,000 in CLAW tokens.
Victims were directed to a malicious website where they were prompted to connect their wallets to "claim their reward."
OX Security noted that the phishing page closely mirrored the official OpenClaw site, with the only significant difference being a wallet connection button designed to steal funds.
The campaign spread through GitHub repositories and email newsletters, with criminals disguising phishing attempts as legitimate tools and extensions for popular software.
OX Security analysts recommended blocking the domain token-claw[.]xyz and avoiding wallet connections to dubious sites. Any announcements regarding token giveaways on GitHub should be treated with suspicion. Experts also advised checking the history of recent smart contract permissions and revoking access if necessary.
OpenClaw's Popularity and Token Conflict
The wave of attacks coincided with a surge in demand for OpenClaw among developers and small businesses using the software for task automation. The project's GitHub repository has garnered over 324,000 stars, ranking ninth globally.
In February, OpenAI invited OpenClaw founder Peter Steinberger to lead the development of personal AI agents. Meanwhile, the entrepreneur faced pressure from the crypto community for refusing to launch a project token.
Steinberger is not interested in issuing or promoting a digital asset. In response, a group of users independently created a coin and began demanding official recognition from the developer, the implementation of fees, and the development of Web3 integrations. The community organized mass spam campaigns on Discord and social media platforms like X.
Due to the aggressive behavior of the audience, the creator even considered completely removing the project.
On March 18, Steinberger warned users that any crypto offerings related to his software are scams.
It’s worth noting that due to the hype surrounding OpenClaw, a paid service for removing the AI agent has emerged in Chinese social media, whereas previously users paid to install it.