Jun 2025 - PANews Airdrop Twitter/X Account Hacked - $Unknown (Global)

PANews is a Web3-focused media platform and think tank, founded in March 2018. Based in Hong Kong, it was co-founded by Forbes 30 Under 30 Asia honorees and is spearheaded by former China News Service journalist Alyssa Tsai. The outlet compiles a diverse array of content—ranging from science explainers and deep-dive analyses to data insights and interviews—to support entrepreneurs and innovators in the blockchain and digital asset sectors. As of early 2023, PANews had published over 41,000 full articles and 115,000 “Flash News” updates from more than 500 contributors, and offers categories such as PAData, PA Reports, and PA Weekly, building an extensive, searchable Web3 knowledge base.

Operating like a modern think-tank, PANews not only publishes content but also builds tools for the Web3 ecosystem. It offers an event calendar, a curated tool directory, and a "Hot Event Plaza," alongside implementing wallet-based one-click Web3 sign‑ins—making it the first Chinese industry media to embrace native blockchain authentication technology. PANews also extends its reach through partnerships and distribution: its content is featured on platforms like Tencent News, and is cited in mainstream outlets (Forbes, Caixin). It has earned recognition from Tencent News, Toutiao, and The Paper, and maintains a cross‑platform presence on Twitter, Weibo, TikTok, Bilibili, WeChat Video Account, Xiaoyuzhou, and JiKe—with over 120,000 subscribers across social channels.

Beyond publishing, PANews serves as an active convenor in the Web3 community. It hosts the annual “PARTY AWARD” (PANews’ Retrospect of The Year), spotlighting top performers in the Web3 space via a selection process combining data evaluation, public voting, and expert panels. Its Twitter Spaces conversations are among the most influential hosted by Chinese Web3 media, offering a live forum for discourse among industry stakeholders. All told, PANews bridges journalism, research, and community-building—positioning itself as a trusted “Web3 Information Officer” for both creators and operators in the blockchain realm.

The PANews Twitter/X account was not properly secured.

The PANewsNow domain was registered, which has a similar name to PANews. Visitors were offered a free airdrop, with the hookup of their wallet. However, hooking up the wallet was not really possible. The user would be convinced that their MetaMask wallet was upgrading through a custom screen. Once this was complete, the connection of the wallet would fail. While multiple possible recovery methods were provided, none would work, leaving the user with the alternative of restoring their wallet via the seed phrase. This, of course, would send the seed phrase to the scammers to drain their funds.

Losses are unknown. It is unclear how many users were affected.

Tongtong Bee, the cofounder and editor in chief of PANews, reported that the PANews Twitter/X account was hacked. Various other accounts helped to spread the message.

The problematic posts have been removed, however the PANewsCN account does not appear to be posting any further information.

There does not appear to be any recovery in progress.

The PaNewsCN Twitter/X account may not be fully recovered and resume posting yet.

It remains to be seen whether or not affected users will be made whole.

Further Analysis

PANews is a Hong Kong-based Web3 media platform and think tank founded in 2018, with tens of thousands of published articles, known for its in-depth reporting, data insights, and community engagement in the blockchain space. In June 2025, its official X (Twitter) account, @PANewsCN, was hacked and used to promote a phishing scam via a fake domain offering a fraudulent MetaMask wallet "upgrade." Victims were tricked into revealing their seed phrases, likely resulting in stolen assets. The extent of the damage remains unknown, and while the scam posts have been removed, the account has yet to resume normal activity, with no confirmed recovery plan or restitution for affected users.

How Could This Have Been Prevented?

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Sources/Further Reading

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