British Man Jailed for 5 Years in US for Hacking High-Profile Twitter Accounts in Bitcoin Scam
Joseph O'Connor, a British man from Liverpool, has been jailed for five years in the US for hacking high-profile Twitter accounts as part of a Bitcoin scam.
In July 2020, O'Connor hacked more than 130 accounts, including those of Barack Obama, Joe Biden, and Elon Musk, and generated tweets asking followers to send Bitcoin to an account, promising to double their money.
The hacking resulted in an estimated 350 million Twitter users viewing suspicious tweets from official accounts, including Apple, Uber, Kanye West, and Bill Gates.
O'Connor was extradited from Spain to the US in April and pleaded guilty to hacking charges in May 2021.
Three other men have been charged over the scam, with one man pleading guilty.
The hackers used social engineering tricks to gain access to Twitter's administrative tools, using a small number of Twitter employees' login details obtained through deception.
O'Connor also admitted to hacking a high-profile TikTok account and stalking a minor.
He was ordered to pay almost $800,000 in forfeiture.
The hacking resulted in an estimated 350 million Twitter users viewing suspicious tweets from official accounts, including Apple, Uber, Kanye West, and Bill Gates.
O'Connor was extradited from Spain to the US in April and pleaded guilty to hacking charges in May 2021.
Three other men have been charged over the scam, with one man pleading guilty.
The hackers used social engineering tricks to gain access to Twitter's administrative tools, using a small number of Twitter employees' login details obtained through deception.
O'Connor also admitted to hacking a high-profile TikTok account and stalking a minor.
He was ordered to pay almost $800,000 in forfeiture.