Mass Twitter Hack Hits Crypto Giants and Celebs
Twitter was rocked on Wednesday as hackers simultaneously seized multiple high-profile accounts, including those of top crypto names and celebrities. The culprits blasted out a Bitcoin giveaway scam, duping followers with promises of free cryptocurrency.
Crypto Accounts Targeted in Major Scam
Big crypto handles like @bitcoin, @ripple, @coindesk, @coinbase, and @binance were all compromised. The hijackers posted a message claiming: “We have partnered with CryptoForHealth and are giving back 5000 BTC to the community,” followed by a scam link (which we won’t share).
The bogus website was swiftly taken offline after the domain registrar, Namesilo, suspended it at the first sign of trouble. “We acted as soon as we were alerted,” said CEO Kristaps Ronka.
Celebs’ Accounts Also Hijacked
It wasn’t just crypto hubs that suffered. Twitter accounts for @apple, Amazon boss @jeffbezos, Democrat presidential hopeful @joebiden, and even Tesla’s @elonmusk fell victim.
Elon Musk’s account pushed the classic crypto scam trick: promising to double any bitcoin sent to a specific address. Other big names like @billgates briefly saw their profiles used to spread the same fraud before quick deletions.
Scam Scoops Nearly £20k in Bitcoin So Far
The infamous trick involves hackers taking over accounts via leaked passwords, then urging followers to send bitcoin with false promises of doubling the cash. Simple theft – but sadly, it works.
At the time of writing, the scammer’s bitcoin wallet had already raked in 2.8 bitcoins – around £20,000 – and counting.
A Binance spokesperson confirmed: “The security team is actively investigating this coordinated attack on the crypto industry.” Other victims have yet to comment.
How Did Hackers Pull It Off?
Details on the breach remain unclear, but experts found the attackers fully controlled the accounts and even swapped email addresses to lock out the rightful owners.
Twitter usually moves swiftly to shut down hijacked accounts, but in coordinated attacks like this, the damage can be done fast.
A Twitter rep told us: “We are looking into this matter,” but had no further comment.
