Gate.io Twitter account was hacked and used to promote phishing
According to available information, the hackers changed the exchange’s official URL from Gate.io to gate.com.
Phishing Scams continue to target large accounts
The gate.com URL directed users to a landing page promising a $500,000 USDT giveaway. Users who connect their wallets to the site would have their assets stolen because it gives hackers access to the
#PeckShieldAlert#Phishing Seems like crypto-exchange Gate[.]io's verified Twitter account @gate_io was compromised & has been used to share links to fraudulent GIVEAWAY.
gate[.]com is the phishing site.
Thanks @aayushrai11@grpolice for the intel pic.twitter.com/cpZ6CgAADm
— PeckShieldAlert (@PeckShieldAlert) October 22, 2022
Blockchain security firm PeckShield the community about the scam.
Gate.io is one of the largest crypto exchanges in the industry. The centralized exchange had a trading volume of over $600 million in the last 24 hours, according to CoinMarketCap
Gate.io Regains Control of the Account
The exchange has regained control of the compromised account as of press time. The website URL has since been fixed and the scam promotional post removed.
Meanwhile, it was unclear whether anyone fell victim to the phishing scam attempt.
The prevalence of this kind of scam has led to several security experts warning investors to always confirm the URL before clicking.
Crypto Scams and Social Media
Phishing scams are prevalent in crypto. furthermore, hackers tend to use social media platforms for this purpose. Several social media accounts have been targeted by phishing scammers before.
Crypto accounts belonging to the entities such as Yuga Labs, Bored Apes, and several exchanges have also been hacked by phishing scammers.
Aside from the risks of account hacks, the prevalence of verified phishing bots has led many crypto personalities like Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin, Cardano founder Charles Hoskinson and Ripple CEO Brad Garlinghouse to question Twitter policies.
Binance CEO Chanpeng Zhao recently disclosed that scammers were now buying accounts he follows for scam purposes.
US lawmakers questioned Meta-owned social media platforms on how they were combating crypto scams. According to the lawmakers, scammers now target social media for victims.
