UK MP Lucy Powell's X Account Hacked to Promote Fraudulent Cryptocurrency

On April 15, the X account of Lucy Powell, a UK Member of Parliament and Leader of the House of Commons, was hacked by scammers promoting a fraudulent cryptocurrency token named the House of Commons Coin (HOC). The hackers posted several messages on Powell’s account, describing the HOC as “a community-driven digital currency” and providing links to the token.

Powell’s staff confirmed the breach and took immediate action to secure the account and remove the misleading posts. The HOC token saw limited interest from potential investors, reaching a peak market cap of just over $24,000 shortly after the posts from Powell’s account. The token has seen a total of 736 transactions and a trading volume of just $71,000.

While Powell has not previously promoted any cryptocurrency, it is not uncommon for political figures to endorse real crypto tokens. For instance, former US President Donald Trump and his wife Melania Trump launched and promoted memecoins before entering the White House, which sparked criticism from political rivals and some supporters. Similarly, Argentine President Javier Melei promoted a token called LIBRA, which quickly crashed in value and led to a political scandal in Argentina, with calls for a probe into Melei’s involvement with the token.

This incident follows a similar attack on Ghana’s president in March, where the X account of President John Mahama was breached for 48 hours to promote a scam cryptocurrency called Solanafrica. The scammers made similar crypto-promoting posts to Mahama’s followers, claiming that the scam project was “making payments fast and free across the continent with support from Solana and the Bank of Ghana.” After regaining control of the president’s X account, his spokesman confirmed that the account had been fully restored and urged the public to disregard any suspicious cryptocurrency-related posts from the handle.

This series of events underscores the growing threat of cybercrime in the digital age, where even high-profile individuals are not immune to such attacks. The scammers' ability to exploit Powell's account to promote their fraudulent scheme highlights the need for enhanced security measures and vigilance in the digital sphere. The incident serves as a reminder of the importance of protecting personal and professional accounts from unauthorized access and the potential consequences of falling victim to such scams.