Recently, the New York Post’s X account has reportedly been compromised, leading to an alarming surge of scam messages targeting users within the cryptocurrency community. These unauthorized messages invite recipients to collaborate on a podcast and direct them to communicate via Telegram, raising serious concerns about the trustworthiness of such interactions.
The malicious activity was first highlighted on May 3 by Alex Katz, founder and CEO of Kerberus, who shared a screenshot of a message purportedly sent by journalist Paul Sperry through the New York Post’s official account. Cybersecurity engineer and NFT collector “Drew” noted that unlike typical scams, the perpetrator opted not to include wallet addresses or links but instead chose to establish communication through a popular messaging platform.
What makes this incident particularly intriguing is the fact that once the scam messages are sent, the scammer blocks users from replying. This prevents any possibility of alerting the real New York Post team about the account compromise. Moreover, Donny Clutterbuck from the NFT Bitcoin ordinals platform Fomojis indicated that the compromise might involve an exploit from Zoom, suggesting that enabling audio could have inadvertently granted access to the scammer.
As blockchain expert ZachXBT pointed out, this compromise resonates with a similar incident that occurred a few weeks prior involving The Defiant’s X account, underscoring a concerning trend in social media security breaches. When Cointelegraph reached out to the New York Post for further details, the response was minimal, with no mention of the security breach on either the NYP or Sperry’s X feeds.
In light of recent events, it is crucial to acknowledge the evolving tactics of scammers, particularly their shift toward exploiting direct messaging channels following initial trust-building conversations. Video conferencing platforms like Zoom have increasingly been identified as breeding grounds for crypto scams. Notably, Emblem Vault CEO Jake Gallen previously warned about a scam in which he lost $100,000 during a fraudulent Zoom interview.
The recurrence of such scams highlights the importance of vigilance and security awareness in online interactions—especially in the cryptocurrency space. Users are urged to verify all communications, particularly those that lead to messaging applications or online meetings.
This incident also serves as a grim reminder that social media accounts, regardless of their perceived security, are susceptible to compromises that can exploit the trust established in online communities. Be cautious and always prioritize security when navigating social platforms.
