Suspected bitcoin scammers take over Twitter accounts of Bill Gates, Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos

[demmiblue]

Source: NBC

Suspected bitcoin scammers appeared to launch a wide-ranging attack on major Twitter accounts on Wednesday in an attempt to get people to transfer cryptocurrency, taking over accounts belonging to some of the world’s wealthiest corporations and people, including Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos.

A tweet typical of the attack sent from the account of Bill Gates, the software mogul and the world’s second-wealthiest person, promised to double all payments sent to his bitcoin address for the next 30 minutes.

“Everyone is asking me to give back, and now is the time,” the tweet said. “You send $1,000, I send you back $2,000.”

Similar tweets appeared on the accounts of tech executive Elon Musk, rapper Kanye West and corporations including Apple, Uber and the money transfer app Cash.

The bitcoin address linked in the tweets was quickly inundated with more than 200 instances of people sending it money, totaling more than $100,000.

Read more: https://www.nbcnews.com/tech/security/suspected-bitcoin-scammers-take-over-twitter-accounts-bill-gates-elon-n1233948?cid=sm_npd_nn_tw_ma

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Link to tweet

Link to tweet

[demmiblue]

1. Biden and Bloomberg:

Link to tweet

Link to tweet

[fleur-de-lisa]

2. They got Obama too, but it was removed immediately.

[demmiblue]

3. Jeez, WTH is going on over there?!

Link to tweet

[fleur-de-lisa]

4. Trump didn't meet his funding goal so Brad Parscale is on it?

[regnaD kciN]

8. And Biden's...

Isn't it strange that this is targeting almost entirely those the QAnon crowd identifies as being in the "Deep State"...?

[George II]

5. Turns out it's a lot more than just those. Names are starting to come in on Twitter of others....

About 2 months ago I got an email on an account I rarely use with the subject line using my password from another email account. They said that they have compromising videos from my "webcam" and if I didn't send them $2000 they're send them out to my boss, coworkers, etc.

The funny thing is I don't have a webcam and I've been retired for seven years!

Then a week later I got another one from someone else with exactly the same wording, but asking for $4000.

I hope people don't fall for the scam.

[Ananda62]

11. Me too

I got a similar email 2 mos ago. Like you, I don’t have a webcam and am retired. The password included in the email threat was an old one. The sender wanted payment in bitcoin.

(I used to work for the FTC and checked with them. Apparently, this is a common scam that’s been around over a year. The password could have been obtained in one of the many data hacks - Experian, Yahoo, VA, etc.)

[Bernardo de La Paz]

13. Happened to me too. It was a password contained in a Yahoo email, so it was the Yahoo hack.

Do not respond. They will give up after a year.

[chriscan64]

16. I got the same one except without a password or anything else like that.

Same situation, work computers, no camera and nothing for a camera to catch. I did not want to respond, but after 20 emails, I asked for a copy of the "video". Nothing since.

[George II]

20. My email claimed that they captured me watching porn and my "reaction" to it from my non-existent...

....webcam.

I'm sure if they send out hundreds of emails that they get a few responses of people with guilty consciences.

I also got caught up in that Ashley Madison hack several years ago, even though I never joined Ashley Madison (that was the one that caused a couple of suicides!)

[htuttle]

6. Found this thread suggesting that an admin account got hacked, and was then sold

Link to tweet

[Sapient Donkey]

21. Hmmmm. I'm skeptical of that

Mostly because I don't understand why twitter would have accounts and tools on their production code to post as any random account. I can see that perhaps being a thing for development, though. That just seems stupid to put that out in the real world. I also don't trust anything on the internet.

My first thought was they exploited some old or little known alternative access/posting method that either bypasses authentication for full account access or perhaps that just lets someone post something as any account because it doesn't actually do proper checks on what's being submitted. I'm basing this on nothing other than my own experiences building applications and breaking my own and other peoples stuff. Perhaps I am wrong and twitter is dumb enough to have such admin accounts with super tools that is accessible from the outside world and that interacts with actual real life data.

[Bernardo de La Paz]

23. All the hacked admin account has to do is change the password. Or the email /phone confirmation. nt

[Sapient Donkey]

24. I don't think passwords or emails were changed, were they? Didn't hear of them being locked out

Although, the tweet with the screenshots of the claimed admin panel were deleted by Twitter for rules violation. That makes me suspect my assessment could be off and they actually do have an admin tool that can create tweets on a live version of the site. That just seems really dumb for a major site which many heads of state and government agencies from around the world use to communicate. To have access to that linked to a twitter account that could be be compromised and sold is stupid. Assuming that is what happened.

[Yavin4]

7. Oh goody. Nice to know that Twitter is safe and secure from hackers as we head into this election

season.

[yaesu]

9. russian mob must be worried about collecting from tRump so trying a new scam. nt

[Orrex]

10. With all that bitcoin flying around, they'll able to buy Boardwalk AND Park Place.

[demmiblue]

12. Lol... snort!

[BumRushDaShow]

15. ...

AND put hotels on both!!

[sheepfarm]

14. Presumably the Bitcoin scammers aren't bothering to use Twitler's account...

...on the basis that no one will believe that the human bag of shit is willing to double anyone's cryptocurrency.

[Sapient Donkey]

17. Obviously a major exploit of twitter as opposed to the usual weak passwords and social engineering

I wonder if Twitter will step up to pay back those people who fell for the scam.

[demmiblue]

18. It appears verified Twitter accounts can't tweet right now.

Link to tweet

Link to tweet

[ansible]

19. Over 5000 people got scammed by this

Jeez, people are this dumb?

https://www.blockchain.com/btc/address/bc1qxy2kgdygjrsqtzq2n0yrf2493p83kkfjhx0wlh

Total Received
12.86130607 BTC

[Sapient Donkey]

25. Many of who can probably least afford to be scammed

It's tempting to have the attitude that if someone is stupid enough to fall for it then they deserve it. But really, the victims are often older folks who are easily confused & tricked, people with have some sort of cognitive disability, or who are in such desperate situations that they will try anything. My grandfather was a brilliant man who did so many amazing things in his life. He was an engineer at NASA, held a massive number of patents, built and a ran many successful businesses over the years, but in his later years he was easily confused and became a good target for scammers. I also now see my own parents becoming more susceptible to this stuff. I'm constantly steering them away from what to me seem like obvious scams.

[orangecrush]

22. Funny the "bitcoin scamners"

Only used Democrats accounts.

Bullshit.

[Polybius]

26. Is Musk a Democrat?

I've always thought he was a Libertarian or Republican.

[orangecrush]

27. Sorry

My mistake.