Published 04:44 IST, July 16th 2020
Twitter blocked verified handles before restoring accounts as it probed Bitcoin scam
As prominent tech leaders, politicians, and celebrities in the US found their Twitter accounts compromised on July 16, Twitter scrambled to block the handles
- Tech
- 2 min read
As prominent tech billionaires, politicians, and celebrities in the United States found their Twitter accounts compromised on July 16, Twitter scrambled to block the verified handles as it launched an investigation into one of the most shocking cyber scams in the history of the internet.
While the bitcoin spammers continued a series of cyber spam attacks for almost two hours from high-profile accounts like that of Bill Gates, Barack Obama, Jeff Bezos, Joe Biden, Elon Musk, and many others, Twitter authorities took control of the situation and temporarily blocked verified accounts
Further, the company notified that the users would be unable to send any tweets from their verified handle as it had blocked the user login and reset passwords rights as it probed the bitcoin scam. However, accounts have now been restored.
Tweets promised to double all payments
In a volley of tweets from various blue tick accounts, the spammers promised to double all payments sent to a Bitcoin address within a stipulated window of 30mins to 1 hour. "Everyone is asking me to give back, and now is the time," the tweet said, tempting Twitter users with promises like "You send $1,000, I send you back $2,000."
Spam tweets were launched from the accounts of rapper Kanye West, investor Warren Buffett and corporations including Apple, Wendy's, Uber, and many others.
Updated 06:38 IST, July 16th 2020