Hackers Exploit New York Post’s X Account to Funnel Victims Into Telegram Crypto Trap

Key Takeaways

• Crypto scammers hacked the New York Post’s X account.
• Instead of posting a wallet-draining link, the hacker sent out invites to a podcast.
• On-chain pundits and investigators warned about the growing sophistication of crypto scams.

Popular media outlet New York Post’s X account was compromised earlier today, and hackers used the company’s DM to lure unsuspecting victims into a Telegram crypto trap.

Several crypto users reported receiving DM from the official NY Post X account inviting users to a podcast.

New York Post Doesn’t Want to Interview You

The New York Post’s X account hack was first flagged by Kerberus founder and CEO Alex Katz, who shared the fraudulent message on May 3, supposedly from author and journalist Paul Sperry via NY Post’s official account.

“The NY Post’s X account is compromised, sending DMs inviting crypto users to their ‘podcast’,” he wrote

As the news spread, popular on-chain sleuth ZachXBT warned its community to be wary of such fraudulent messages. The fraudulent message read:

“We’re lining up new guests for our podcast and would love to feature you in an upcoming episode,” the message from the scammers read. “This is an exclusive editorial invite, with both in-person and virtual collaboration options available.”

Hacking popular and famous X accounts to promote crypto scams is not a new phenomenon.

Despite years of warnings from law enforcement agencies and on-chain pundits, many gullible users continue to fall for such scams.

Growing Sophistication of Crypto Scams

While X account hacks that promote gambling and fraudulent crypto investment programs are not new, what’s interesting about this case is that the scammer gained unauthorized access but didn’t post ads or a wallet drainer, a common trend among such scams.

Instead, they’re messaging users and then directing them to Telegram.

After sending the message, the scammer blocks users from replying to prevent the actual New York Post team from being alerted about the hack.

The user is then invited to an online Zoom call and receives a pop-up to enable audio over Wi-Fi or data.

Once the user clicks, the hacker gains control of their computer, allowing them to drain crypto from these accounts.

The latest hack incident highlights the growing sophistication of crypto scams and how scammers are becoming more technologically sophisticated.