Hackers Push Fake Crypto on Kenya Police Social Media Accounts

A Kenyan law enforcement agency said it regained control of its X and Facebook accounts on Feb. 9, just hours after hackers used them to promote a fake cryptocurrency.

Hackers Offer Tokens for Likes

Kenya’s Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) announced Feb. 9 that it had regained control of its X and Facebook accounts from hackers. The law enforcement agency confirmed that the cybercriminals used the compromised accounts to promote a fake cryptocurrency. After thwarting the hackers, the DCI said it has launched a “scrupulous” investigation into the criminal activity.

The agency’s confirmation of the hack came hours after the cybercriminals announced the launch of a crypto coin known as DCI. To attract Kenyans, the hackers reportedly framed the token as a “blockchain project” aimed at helping the East African nation reduce its budget by hundreds of millions of dollars annually.

In addition to sharing the token’s “contract address,” the hackers also claimed that DCI was listed on several unnamed major crypto exchanges. The hackers, who also offered tokens in exchange for likes, urged followers of the X account to encourage media outlets to support the project.

“This is an [sic] official news, please ask local media to support the idea of launching a blockchain project,” the hackers wrote.

However, at the time of writing (Feb. 10, 1300 hours EST), the hackers’ posts had been deleted, and the DCI appeared to be in control of the account.

The Kenyan law agency is the latest high-profile organization or individual to be targeted by hackers who appear to specialize in promoting fake cryptocurrencies. As recently reported by Bitcoin.com News, hackers breached Tanzanian billionaire Mohammed Dewji’s X account and made off with over $1.4 million. In Brazil, hackers seized the X account of the country’s former president, Jair Bolsonaro, and fleeced $1.3 million from unsuspecting users.

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