Thousands of Nigerians are expressing anger and disappointment after the highly anticipated airdrop from the crypto-mining app Hamster Kombat failed to deliver the massive financial rewards promised. After months of consistent effort tapping to earn rewards, users were shocked to receive payouts as low as $1 to $4, with some reports of the highest earners making only $7 to $17. Many had hoped for substantial earnings, dreaming of becoming millionaires.
The app, which launched in March 2024, had gained traction for promising users significant financial opportunities. However, as the Hamster Coin ($HMSTR) finally launched on Thursday, users took to social media to vent their frustrations, with some reporting receiving as little as ₦2.75 for months of effort.
Social media platforms, particularly X (formerly Twitter), have been flooded with complaints. Nigerian users, who had expected the campaign to be a life-changing opportunity, were left feeling misled. A user, Geoffrey Nwankpa, expressed his frustration with a post that read, “You gave me dust after 4 months… It’s hunting season.” Others, like Lord Nate, joked about the dismal rewards, saying, “I keep refreshing to see $0.19.”
While Hamster Kombat’s official account celebrated the launch and the coin’s availability on platforms like Binance with leverage trading up to 75x, this did little to calm the uproar. As of Thursday, Hamster Coin was listed at $0.008315 on CoinMarketCap with a market cap of $535.3 million, but the low value left users disillusioned.
This development has drawn comparisons to other failed tap-to-earn apps, like Tapswap, which also postponed token allocations, leaving many wondering if these projects are worth the effort. Many users who once hoped to become wealthy through the app are now lamenting the wasted time and effort, with some calling the entire project “the worst ever.”
