Bitcoin scam: A look back at the Twitter hack

DW (English)

Hackers repeatedly infiltrate celebrities’ social media accounts to post fake Bitcoin offers. Such scams capitalize on star power to lure victims into responding. This was the case in 2020 with the big Twitter hack.

Transcript

00:00What do tech giants Bill Gates, Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos have in common?

00:06All three had their Twitter accounts hacked, in one of the most brazen scams in recent years.

00:12In 2020, hackers tweeted out questionable investment proposals from numerous celebrities' accounts.

00:18They lured users to send Bitcoin and promised to double their investment.

00:25To some Twitter users it seemed like a good opportunity.

00:29The scam was quickly uncovered and the culprits were later convicted.

00:33Still, the scammers were able to capture Bitcoin worth some 100,000 euros.

00:39Harnessing the power of celebrity for get-rich-quick schemes.

00:43A match made in scamming heaven.

00:46If you can take over a celebrity's Twitter account and tweet some nasty things,

00:51you'll cause a lot more confusion than if it's an unknown person.

00:56And of course, people with either money or high enough of a profile to get money.

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