Security in the crypto world remains a major concern, especially in light of the rise in hacks of public figure accounts with the aim of spreading scams. American rapper Nelly is the latest target: his Twitter account was recently used to redirect his followers to a cryptocurrency scam site.
Nelly’s account hijacked for crypto scams
Hijacking the Twitter accounts of high-profile personalities is a tactic increasingly used by scammers seeking to deceive the public. The recent example of account of Vitalik Buterin whose hijacking resulted in financial losses for many of his followers, is still fresh in our minds.
Today, another iconic figure, the American rapper Nelly suffers the same fate! In a recent paper on Telegram, ZachXBT a specialist in blockchain investigation, reported that the Twitter account of famous American rapper Nelly has been compromised.
The author of this hack modified the profile to pose as a so-called security analyst linked to Scam Sniffera well-known platform in the field. Using the usurped reputation of Nelly thanks to his millions of followers on X, he has guided users to a malicious cryptocurrency site taking advantage of their trust in the original profile.
Celebrity Twitter account hijackings, a new tactic for scammers
Hackers sent misleading messages to subscribers urging them to check the security of their crypto wallets. The aim was to get them to carry out transactions that would enable the crooks to steal their funds.
Fortunately, the incident was quickly detected and the account concerned was deactivated. Scam Sniffer made it clear that the hijacked account had no connection with their company, and called for vigilance.
The incident with Nelly’s account is part of a wider trend. In 2023, the third quarter saw 76 hacking incidents in the crypto ecosystem, resulting in estimated losses of $332 million in September alone.
When will the most widely used platforms offer us enough security? Or would it be better to raise awareness and enable everyone to acquire the necessary knowledge to ward off these kinds of attacks?
As a journalist at Coinpri, I’ve been captivated by the world of bitcoin and blockchain since 2020. The decentralized aspect of Bitcoin particularly piqued my interest. Since then, I’ve been working constantly to spread my knowledge, hoping one day to see a world where everyone fully enjoys their financial freedom.
