A hacker has stolen approximately $500,000 over the past month by exploiting 15 crypto-focused accounts on X (formerly Twitter) to run phishing scams promoting bogus memecoins, according to blockchain investigator ZachXBT.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The hacker\u2019s scheme involved impersonating the X team to send fake copyright infringement notices to account holders. These urgent messages tricked victims into visiting phishing sites, where they unknowingly reset their X account passwords and two-factor authentication (2FA) credentials.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Once the attacker gained access to these accounts, they used them to post memecoin scams, targeting the accounts\u2019 followers. Many of these X accounts had substantial followings, with some exceeding 200,000 followers, mostly composed of memecoin enthusiasts looking for investment tips.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
ZachXBT identified 15 compromised accounts, including notable crypto accounts such as Kick, Cursor, The Arena, Brett, and Alex Blania.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The attacks began on Nov. 26 with the takeover of RuneMine\u2019s account and continued through Dec. 24, when Kick’s account was compromised.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Neutron, a cross-chain scalability platform, is among the few affected accounts that publicly acknowledged the breach.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Crypto scams, especially phishing, appear to be rebounding as scammers target the holiday season. In November, phishing losses dropped 53% month-on-month to $9.3 million, but this recent attack suggests a shift in tactics.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
According to Chainalysis, crypto theft reached $2.2 billion across 303 major incidents in 2024, marking a 21% increase compared to the previous year. Centralized services were among the most targeted platforms.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
ZachXBT urged X users to enhance their account security by:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
These precautions can help minimize the risk of falling victim to similar phishing schemes.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
A hacker has stolen approximately $500,000 over the past month by exploiting 15 crypto-focused accounts on X (formerly Twitter) to run phishing scams promoting bogus memecoins, according to blockchain investigator ZachXBT. How the Hack Unfolded The hacker\u2019s scheme involved impersonating the X team to send fake copyright infringement notices to account holders. These urgent messages […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":10,"featured_media":5180,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[2,43],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-12867","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-featured","8":"category-general-news"},"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n