A Kenyan law enforcement agency announced that it had regained control of its X and Facebook accounts on Feb. 9, just hours after hackers compromised the accounts to promote a fraudulent cryptocurrency scheme.
Kenya’s Criminal Investigation Agency Regains Control of Hacked Social Media Accounts
Kenya’s Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) announced on Feb. 9 that it had successfully regained control of its X and Facebook accounts after they were hijacked by hackers. According to the law enforcement agency, the cybercriminals used the compromised accounts to promote a fraudulent cryptocurrency. In response, the DCI has launched an extensive investigation into the hacking incident to identify and apprehend those responsible.
Hackers Promoted a Fake Cryptocurrency
The confirmation of the hack came just hours after the attackers falsely announced the launch of a new cryptocurrency named “DCI.” To lure unsuspecting Kenyans, the hackers framed the token as a blockchain initiative designed to help the country cut its budget by hundreds of millions of dollars annually.
To further legitimize the scam, the hackers shared the token’s contract address and falsely claimed that DCI had already been listed on multiple major crypto exchanges. They even attempted to incentivize engagement by offering tokens in exchange for likes and urging followers to encourage local media outlets to support the so-called blockchain project.
“This is an official news, please ask local media to support the idea of launching a blockchain project,” the hackers posted.
DCI Restores Control Amid Growing Cyber Attacks
As of Feb. 10 at 1:00 PM EST, the hackers’ posts had been deleted, and the DCI had regained full control of its social media accounts.
The incident highlights a growing trend of cybercriminals hijacking high-profile social media accounts to promote fake cryptocurrency schemes. Recently, Tanzanian billionaire Mohammed Dewji suffered a similar attack on his X account, resulting in a loss of over $1.4 million. Meanwhile, in Brazil, hackers took control of former president Jair Bolsonaro’s X account, using it to defraud users of $1.3 million.
As cyber threats targeting influential individuals and organizations continue to rise, the DCI’s swift action serves as a warning to users to remain vigilant against fraudulent crypto schemes circulating online.
 announced on Feb. 9 that it had successfully regained control of its X and Facebook accounts after they were hijacked by hackers. According to the law enforcement agency, the cybercriminals used the compromised accounts to promote a fraudulent cryptocurrency. In response, the DCI has launched an extensive investigation into the hacking incident to identify and apprehend those responsible.){kind=link}