Scammers recently targeted popular crypto influencer GCR on Twitter, compromising his account and posting promotional content for ORDI and Luna 2.0 tokens. GCR confirmed the hack and urged followers to ignore any posts coming from his account, suggesting that someone at Twitter may have been bribed to obtain his log-in credentials. The price of ORDI briefly surged from $40 to $44 before falling back to $40, while Luna 2.0 saw a momentary 274% increase in price. Crypto observers speculated that the hack may be part of a wider scam targeting celebrities and influencers launching meme coins over the holiday weekend when platform engineers are less likely to be available.
Bitcoin developer Udi Wertheimer warned followers to be cautious as more celebrities start launching meme coins, potentially making them vulnerable to hacks like GCR’s account compromise. Chinese crypto blogger Colin Wu noted that the hacker established positions on OKX and Binance six minutes before the price surge on ORDI, indicating premeditation. Another crypto analyst, Miles Deutscher, criticized the hacker for only achieving a small price increase for ORDI and Luna 2.0 tokens when they could have chosen a more believable micro-cap coin to pump for a greater profit.
Celebrities in the crypto space have also fallen victim to hacks on Twitter, with American rapper Rich The Kid and media personality Caitlyn Jenner experiencing similar incidents. Rich The Kid promoted a new token called RICH on the Solana memecoin creation platform, while Caitlyn Jenner promoted the JENNER token, both leading to significant market value increases shortly after their posts. However, no official statements were made by either celebrity confirming that their accounts were hacked. Jenner continued to promote the JENNER token, encouraging followers to ignore influencers advising against buying it, suggesting that they were trying to keep their followers from making money.
The incident involving GCR’s hacked account highlights the vulnerability of crypto influencers and celebrities on social media platforms like Twitter. Hackers are targeting these individuals to promote specific tokens and create short-term price surges for financial gain. The involvement of prominent figures in the crypto space like GCR, Rich The Kid, and Caitlyn Jenner in these hacking incidents underscores the need for increased security measures and vigilance among influencers and followers in the crypto community. It is essential to verify the authenticity of promotions and investment advice shared on social media platforms to avoid falling victim to scams and fraudulent schemes orchestrated by hackers.