The official Twitter account of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been compromised early today, and has been used to share misleading information about the widespread adoption of Bitcoin (BTC) and the redistribution of 500 BTC among Indian citizens.
10th of December, Modi said at a virtual summit hosted by US President Joe Biden, that technologies like cryptocurrencies should be used to empower democracy and not undermine it:
“Working together, democracies can fulfill the aspirations of our citizens and celebrate the democratic spirit of humanity.”
The long-awaited winter session of the Lok Sabha, a parliamentary meeting aimed at debating the legality of cryptocurrencies in the region, did not clarify the government’s stance on cryptocurrencies, but hackers of unknown origin managed to take control of the account of the prime minister with more than 73.4 million followers to declare Bitcoin as legal tender.
Bitcoin scammers declare the cryptocurrency as India’s legal tender. pic.twitter.com/uTe1R7XUWZ
– Priya (@supesuonna) December 11, 2021
Bitcoin scammers declare that cryptocurrency legal tender in India.
Even if the hack happened at midnight in India (around 4:00 p.m. ET), Twitter user Priya was one of many crypto enthusiasts who realized the inopportune Tweet what did he say:
“India has officially adopted Bitcoin as legal tender. The government has officially purchased 500 BTC and is distributing it to all residents of the country. The future has arrived today.”
The post also included a link urging unsuspecting investors to sign up and claim their share of the BTC share.. However, this was the second time that Modi’s Twitter account had been hacked and used for cryptocurrency scams.
Shortly after the hack, the unauthorized tweet was deleted and the hack was confirmed by the Prime Minister’s official account..
The Twitter handle of PM @narendramodi was very briefly compromised. The matter was escalated to Twitter and the account has been immediately secured.
In the brief period that the account was compromised, any Tweet shared must be ignored.
– PMO India (@PMOIndia) December 11, 2021
The Prime Minister’s Twitter account @narendramodi was compromised for a very short time. The matter has been moved to Twitter and the account has been protected immediately.
Any Tweets shared in the short time the account was compromised should be ignored.
As Cointelegraph reported, hackers managed to breach Modi’s Twitter account in September 2020.. Under the pseudonym ‘John Wick’, the hackers shared several tweets asking supporters of the prime minister to “donate generously to the PM’s National Aid Fund for Covid-19.”
Launch of India’s Crypto Bill Sparked New Concerns Around Banning Private Crypto. While the meaning of “private” was not yet interpreted at the parliamentary meeting, the lack of information sparked panic among investors.
Clearing the speculation surrounding the discussions on the cryptocurrency bill, Former Finance Secretary Subhash Garg, who was also the creator of the bill, dismissed the notion of banning “private cryptocurrencies” as a misinterpretation. In an interview with News 18, Garg said:
“[La descripción del proyecto de ley sobre criptomonedas] maybe it was a mistake. It is misleading to say that private cryptocurrencies will be banned and to insist to the government about the same. “
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