Beautiful Virgin Islands

Tuesday, Jun 03, 2025

'Elon Musk' scams thrive on social media

'Elon Musk' scams thrive on social media

No, Elon Musk isn’t going to offer you a free watch or free Bitcoin on Twitter – but scammers will.

Scammers are students of human psychology, whether it’s duping you into clicking on a bogus email or offering fake free stuff on social media.

And dropping Elon Musk’s name into a scam to lure the unsuspecting is a popular strategy for crooks, according to a new report.

"Elon Musk is an incredibly popular target for scammers and spammers on social media. Attach his name to something he has no involvement in and watch it fly," Malwarebytes Labs said this week in a blog post.


Since October 2020, reports to the Federal Trade Commission of cryptocurrency scams have spiked with almost 7,000 people reporting losses of more than $80 million with a median loss of $1,900, according to the FTC.

That's about 12 times the number of reports and nearly 1,000% more in reported losses compared to the same period last year, the FTC said.

Recognized names


The giveaway scams typically trade on famous names. More than $2 million in cryptocurrency was lost to Elon Musk impersonators over just the past six months, according to the FTC.

Malwarebytes says one scam making the rounds starts like this: a Twitter account goes viral with a popular tweet. Then a bot account replies with a screenshot. In this case it appears to show Elon Musk, on Twitter, saying:

"Just google 'Topmid Dust Watch' and thank me later," – a reference to a map in the popular video game "Counter-Strike."

Dropping Elon Musk’s name into a scam to lure the unsuspecting is a popular strategy for crooks, according to a new report.


These schemes "usually lead to portals ‘selling’ the item for a grand total of $0," Malwarebytes said.

What the scammers want is your address and credit card information to ship you the "free" product, according to the report.

Generally speaking, you should avoid products in the replies of social media posts, Malwarebytes said.

"The same goes for promotions pushed by accounts you know, or even verified accounts. There’s always a chance what you’re seeing is the result of a compromise," the report said, adding "you’ve no idea what waits at the other end of a link."

The aim of the ploy is to bypass spam detection, Malwarebytes said. Gmail and Outlook, for example, detect most scams and spam, so it can be a challenge for scammers to get through these filters set up by Google and Microsoft, respectively.

Bitcoin is a favorite too


A scammer posing as Elon Musk walked away with $560,000 back in February.

In that case, a man received a Twitter notification that appeared to be from Elon Musk.

"Musk tweeted, 'Dojo 4 Doge?’" the man told the BBC, referring to the cryptocurrency dogecoin.


The fake competition invited participants to send up to 20 bitcoin (over $1 million at the time) and they would double their money. The man sent 10 bitcoin and lost it all to the scammers.

It was the most ever lost in a single transaction, the BBC said, citing Whale Alert, which tracks cryptocurrency transactions.

Scammers made $18 million in the first three months of this year, eclipsing the $16 million made in all 12 months in 2020, according to Whale Alert.

"Unfortunately it's very easy for con-artists to create social media accounts and impersonate people," Bitcoin.org says on its website.

Newsletter

Related Articles

Beautiful Virgin Islands
0:00
0:00
Close
China Accuses US of Violating Trade Truce
Panama Port Owner Balances US-China Pressures
France Implements Nationwide Outdoor Smoking Ban to Protect Children
German Chancellor Merz Keeps Putin Guessing on Missile Strategy
Mandelson Criticizes UK's 'Fetish' for Abandoning EU Regulations
British Fishing Boat Owner Fined €30,000 by French Authorities
Dutch government falls as far-right leader Wilders quits coalition
Harvard Urges US to Unfreeze Funds for Public Health Research
Businessman Mauled by Lion at Luxury Namibian Lodge
Researchers Consider New Destinations Beyond the U.S.
53-Year-Old Doctor Claims Biological Age of 23
Trump Struggles to Secure Trade Deals With China and Europe
Russia to Return 6,000 Corpses Under Ukraine Prisoner Swap Deal
Microsoft Lays Off Hundreds More Amid Restructuring
Harvey Weinstein’s Publicist Embraces Notoriety
Macron and Meloni Seek Unity Despite Tensions
Trump Administration Accused of Obstructing Deportation Cases
Newark Mayor Sues Over Arrest at Immigration Facility
Center-Left Candidate Projected to Win South Korean Presidency
Trump’s Tariffs Predicted to Stall Global Economic Growth
South Korea’s President-Elect Expected to Take Softer Line on Trump and North Korea
Trump’s China Strategy Remains a Geopolitical Puzzle
Ukraine Executes Long-Range Drone Strikes on Russian Airbases
Conservative Karol Nawrocki wins Poland’s presidential election
Study Identifies Potential Radicalization Risk Among Over One Million Muslims in Germany
Good news: Annalena Baerbock Elected President of the UN General Assembly
Apple Appeals EU Law Over User Data Sharing Requirements
South Africa: "First Black Bank" Collapses after Being Looted by Owners
Poland will now withdraw from the EU migration pact after pro-Trump nationalist wins Election
"That's Disgusting, Don’t Say It Again": The Trump Joke That Made the President Boil
Trump Cancels NASA Nominee Over Democratic Donations
Paris Saint-Germain's Greatest Triumph Is Football’s Lowest Point
OnlyFans for Sale: From Lockdown Lifeline to Eight-Billion-Dollar Empire
Mayor’s Security Officer Implicated | Shocking New Details Emerge in NYC Kidnapping Case
Hegseth Warns of Potential Chinese Military Action Against Taiwan
OPEC+ Agrees to Increase Oil Output for Third Consecutive Month
Jamie Dimon Warns U.S. Bond Market Faces Pressure from Rising Debt
Turkey Detains Istanbul Officials Amid Anti-Corruption Crackdown
Taylor Swift Gains Ownership of Her First Six Albums
Bangkok Ranked World's Top City for Remote Work in 2025
Satirical Sketch Sparks Political Spouse Feud in South Korea
Indonesia Quarry Collapse Leaves Multiple Dead and Missing
South Korean Election Video Pulled Amid Misogyny Outcry
Asian Economies Shift Away from US Dollar Amid Trade Tensions
Netflix Investigates Allegations of On-Set Mistreatment in K-Drama Production
US Defence Chief Reaffirms Strong Ties with Singapore Amid Regional Tensions
Vietnam Faces Strategic Dilemma Over China's Mekong River Projects
Malaysia's First AI Preacher Sparks Debate on Islamic Principles
White House Press Secretary Criticizes Harvard Funding, Advocates for Vocational Training
France to Implement Nationwide Smoking Ban in Outdoor Spaces Frequented by Children
×