This archive report was first published on 16 July 2020.
On July 16, 2020, a sophisticated phishing scam targeted high-profile Twitter accounts, including those of Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates, Tesla founder Elon Musk, and Amazon founder Jeff Bezos.
The hackers, who managed to breach the security of these prominent figures, posted coordinated messages announcing Bitcoin giveaways to their followers.
As a result, 5,314 people fell victim to the scam, sending the hackers a total of $7.8M USD (approximately Sh800 million).
The incident highlights the growing threat of social media hacking and the importance of online security.