A “giveaway” scam claimed another victim today after someone ended up sending a whole Bitcoin (≈$11,300) to its address, according to on-chain alerts service Scam Alert.
The transaction occurred when someone sent the Bitcoin to an address linked to “teslafreegift.com,” a site registered this October which is not connected to the official Tesla company.
The address has received over 0.9 Bitcoin ($10.170) from other victims and holds over $18,000 worth of Bitcoin as of press time. A total of 24 payments have been made to the address with an average transaction of $787, as tracked by Scam Alert.
The modus operandi is usually as follows: The scammer builds out a fake Twitter account and latches on the comments of the tweets put out by popular Twitter users. The scammer’s comments are usually a variation of “send 1 Bitcoin, receive 2 back,” and in some cases, are immediately retweeted or commented on with positive feedback by other scammer-controlled accounts to boost their legitimacy. The intend is, however, never an act of benevolence.
Following the Bitcoin: How the Twitter hackers are cashing out
Last week hackers hijacked Twitter, taking control of the accounts of several high-profile individuals. But rather than start World War 3, they elected to run a simple Bitcoin scam—swindling a total of 12.5 Bitcoin ($120,000). Now, the Bitcoin is on the move, and here’s how the hackers are trying to escape with their spoils. According to blockchain analytics firm Ciphertrace, the hackers are using a combination of Bitcoin mixing services, gambling sites, exchanges—and even defunct addresses—in...
Twitter is a popular hunting ground for scammers. Earlier this year, the social media giant was targeted by a hacker—allegedly a Florida teen who gained access to Twitter’s “god mode” admin panel—who took over 25 high-profile accounts, such as those belonging to politicians, celebrities, and crypto entrepreneurs, and tweeted out a similar giveaway scheme. The hacker made away with over $120,000 at the time.
Twitter has since ramped up its security measures and even revamped safety features for high-profile accounts ahead of the 2020 US Elections, in a bid to avoid any similar occurrences in the future.
Only $120,000 in Bitcoin: Twitter hack could have been much worse
Hackers compromised the personal accounts of over 25 prominent and influential Twitter users yesterday, including US Presidential nominee Joe Biden and former US President Barack Obama, to perpetuate a Bitcoin “giveaway” scam. But for all their efforts—like infiltrating a billion-dollar company by allegedly bribing staff, according to Vice—the yet-unidentified hackers have little to show. In all, they extracted just 12.5 Bitcoin (about $120,000 at current rates), which by all means is a lot of m...
Still, the giveaways remain and the scams keep running.
