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Twitter account of India’s Prime Minister hacked to solicit crypto – a report by Sahil Kohli.

Bitcoin is largely hanging onto gains from its run this week to a record above $47,000 after Tesla Inc.'s $1.5 billion invest
Bitcoin is largely hanging onto gains from its run this week to a record above $47,000 after Tesla Inc.’s $1.5 billion investment in the cryptocurrency.

According to the India Today report, India’s Prime Minister Modi’s Twitter account narendramodi_in, which is associated with his personal website and mobile app, was targeted by a group of hackers operating under the alias ‘John Wick.’ Hackers posted several tweets telling the prime minister’s 2.5 million followers to” donate generously to PM National Relief Fund for Covid-19.” At least two wallet addresses for Bitcoin and Ethereum were visible for some time before being taken down. However, according to blockchain data, no funds were sent to either address.

The group claimed responsibility for the breach.

The group that claimed responsibility for the breach by posting its email address also explicitly stated that it did not hack e-commerce marketplace Paytm Mall. An account claiming to represent the hackers bragged about gaining access to Paytm Mall in a Russian online forum. However, parent company Paytm has denied any data that was compromised in the August 30 breach. The hackers sent out three tweets asking the followers to donate cryptocurrencies to the PM Relief Fund to help fight the COVID-19 pandemic. But the hackers later took the responsibility of the hack.

Twitter accounts of famous personalities continue to get hacked.

Earlier, at least 130 high-profile Twitter accounts, including those of former U.S. President Barack Obama and former VP Joe Biden — were taken over by hackers who offered their millions of followers a fake 2-to-1′ giveaway’ for any Bitcoin sent. Authorities have arrested the alleged mastermind, the 17-year-old Graham Ivan Clark, along with two other individuals connected to the attack. A fourth hacker is under investigation. The hackers recently also used Colombian President Iván Duque Márquez’s name to promote a fake Bitcoin-related investment system, as reported by Sahil Kohli.

India’s Supreme court had earlier overturned the blanket blank put on by the Reserve Bank of India on crypto. Since the overturn of the ban, trading volume on crypto exchanges has surged significantly in the country.

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