The Shiba Inu development team has issued an urgent security alert warning the community about a surge in sophisticated phishing scams targeting victims of the 2025 Shibarium bridge exploit. The scams are centered around fraudulent imitations of the official "Shib Owes You" (SOU) NFT recovery system.
Susbarium, the ecosystem's dedicated safety channel, reported that scammers have created fake websites that meticulously clone the official SOU claim portal at Shib.io. These malicious sites are being promoted across social media channels using shortened or cloned links designed to trick users into connecting their wallets. The fraudulent portals aim to capture victims' private keys and seed phrases, which would grant scammers full access to their funds.
The team explicitly confirmed that "the SOU NFT will never arrive by airdrop" and will never be sent automatically to user wallets. All eligible users—those affected by the $4 million Shibarium bridge exploit in September 2025—must manually claim their compensation NFT exclusively through the verified official website. The SOU NFT represents the amount owed to the user and is intended to be tradable or redeemable as recovery funds are secured.
The security notice, shared via Susbarium's Twitter account on February 22, 2026, stressed that users should manually type the official domain (Shib.io) and avoid clicking any shared links, even those that appear legitimate. The team warned that scammers frequently update their tactics and that fake dashboards continue to circulate. Users are advised to verify all communication sources, as bad actors may impersonate official support staff, and to remember that no legitimate team member will ever request private keys.
The compensation plan for affected wallets is being executed in phases, with funds sourced from project revenue streams, licensing income, and ecosystem reserves to ensure long-term stability. The claim process involves users opening the official portal, selecting the SOU claim option, and allowing the system to automatically verify wallet eligibility on-chain.
