-
On February 17, the official X account of the Saudi Law Conference was compromised, leading to the promotion of fraudulent meme coins disguised as government-endorsed tokens.
-
This incident is part of a troubling trend in the cryptocurrency space, where hackers leverage high-profile accounts to deceive potential investors.
-
“There’s a long history of scams associated with high-profile endorsements, and this incident further tarnishes the integrity of digital currencies,” stated a sentiment echoed by numerous analysts.
Hackers took control of the Saudi Law Conference’s official X account, promoting fake meme coins linked to the government, raising concerns in the crypto community.
Saudi Law Conference’s X Account Hacked for Meme Coin Scam
On February 17, scammers impersonated Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince and Prime Minister, HRH Mohammed bin Salman. They posted multiple tweets advertising newly launched cryptocurrencies, falsely associating them with the Saudi government.
The tokens included the Saudi Arabia Meme coin (KSA) and the FALCON Meme coin (FLCN).
Despite the flashy promotions, the cryptocurrency community was quick to express skepticism. Many users publicly warned against engaging with the coins. “There has been countless scams under official government names, and this will be another one,” voiced one user on X.
Concerns about the authenticity of such coins were heightened by community comments like, “Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia, Mohammed bin Salman will never make a memecoin, and he does not have an account on X. This is a SCAM!”
As anticipated, both tokens were rug-pulled shortly after launch. Data from Dexscreener shows KSA collapsed by 93.71% post-launch, while FLCN plummeted by 95.90%. The fraudulent website associated with FLCN was also taken down soon after.
The hackers had even planned to announce the launch of an “Official Saudi Arabia Meme coin” at a specific UTC time. Fortunately, the compromised account was restored before this planned launch, leading to the removal of all questionable content.
In the wake of this breach, the Saudi Law Conference issued a statement via LinkedIn, addressing the situation.
“The management of the conference announces that the official account of the Saudi Law Conference (@SaudiLawConf) has been exposed to a breach. Any content currently being posted from the account that does not reflect our views or official directions should be disregarded,” the statement read.
The Saudi Law Conference confirmed that they are actively working to restore the compromised account and urged everyone to exercise caution and refrain from engaging with any suspicious content.
The recent hack follows an instance involving Argentina’s President, Javier Milei, who recently retracted his endorsement of the LIBRA meme coin after its link to a pump-and-dump scheme led to a staggering $107 million loss and a 90% price drop.
This incident underscores a growing issue within the crypto landscape, as high-profile X accounts have been increasingly targeted for similar scams. Recently, accounts belonging to figures like World Liberty Financial co-founder Zach Witkoff and former leaders of countries have also been hijacked to promote fake meme coins.
Rising Trend of High-Profile Hacks in Cryptocurrency
This alarming trend highlights the vulnerabilities within the cryptocurrency ecosystem, where many scams are often masked by the legitimacy of respected accounts. The cryptocurrency space has been rife with rug pulls and accounts falling victim to hacks, creating an increasingly dangerous environment for investors who may not have the technological savvy to discern genuine offerings from scams.
As these fraudulent activities persist, the crypto community is urged to remain vigilant. New investors, in particular, should conduct thorough research and engage with projects that have verifiable backgrounds to mitigate the risks associated with potential scams.
Conclusion
The recent hacking incident involving the Saudi Law Conference’s X account serves as a stark reminder of the continuous threats posed by malicious actors in the cryptocurrency space. As fraudulent activities linked to high-profile endorsements persist, it’s crucial for both investors and authorities to enhance their vigilance. Awareness and due diligence are key factors in safeguarding investments in this rapidly evolving market.
