• Shark Tank star Kevin O’Leary’s Twitter account was hacked on Thursday and used to promote a crypto scam.
• The now-deleted tweet claimed to give away 5,000 BTC and 15,000 ETH, instructing users to first send their own digital assets to verify their wallet addresses.
• Crypto giveaway scams are one of the most prevalent types of scams in the industry, often impersonating well-known figures such as Elon Musk, Michael Saylor, and CZ.
On Thursday, Kevin O’Leary, the famed investor and star of the ABC reality show Shark Tank, experienced the unfortunate reality of being hacked. O’Leary’s Twitter account, which has over 982,000 followers, was taken over by malicious actors and used to promote a crypto giveaway scam.
The now-deleted tweet, which featured an accompanying image of O’Leary himself, claimed that users had the chance to receive 5,000 Bitcoins (BTC) and 15,000 Ether (ETH). In order to receive the giveaway prizes, the tweet directed users to first send their own digital assets to a specific wallet address to verify their wallet addresses. However, after the required funds were sent, no money was returned to the respondents and the scammers made away with the funds.
Crypto giveaway scams are one of the most prevalent types of scams in the industry. These scams often involve the hack of famous people’s or organizations‘ accounts, impersonating well-known figures such as Elon Musk, Michael Saylor, and CZ in order to promote their fraudulent schemes. In this case, the malicious actors used O’Leary’s account to try and scam unsuspecting users out of their hard-earned funds.
Unfortunately, these types of scams are becoming increasingly common, and users must be vigilant when engaging with online accounts. As such, it is important to always double-check the account’s legitimacy before sending any money or digital assets, and never click on any links or provide any personal information without verifying the source first. Any suspicious activity should be reported to the authorities to ensure that these criminals are brought to justice and that the victims‘ funds are recovered.