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Department of Health Philippines’ Twitter Account Briefly Hacked, Promoting Fake Uniswap Airdrop

The DOH Philippines’ Twitter account was briefly hacked, promoting fake Uniswap airdrop amidst growing concerns over scams on social media.

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  • The verified Twitter account of the Department of Health (DOH) Philippines was briefly hacked, promoting a fake Uniswap airdrop, highlighting the issue of cyber attacks and scams in the cryptocurrency space.
  • The incident comes amid growing concerns about the prevalence of cryptocurrency scams on social media platforms, as scammers hack verified accounts to promote their fraudulent schemes, taking advantage of Twitter’s updated verification rules.
  • Uniswap, a decentralized cryptocurrency exchange built on the Ethereum blockchain, has been a target for scammers who create fake tokens and set up fraudulent trading pools to lure unsuspecting users to invest.

The Department of Health (DOH) Philippines experienced a security breach today as its verified Twitter account was hacked, promoting a fake Uniswap airdrop. The incident highlights the ongoing issue of cyberattacks and scams in the cryptocurrency space, particularly on social media platforms.

Photo for the Article - Department of Health Philippines' Twitter Account Briefly Hacked, Promoting Fake Uniswap Airdrop
Screenshot of the DOH account promoting a Uniswap scam. Credits to @DeFiIgnas

DOH Twitter Account Briefly Hacked

A number of Twitter users reported seeing the promoted tweet from the DOH’s verified account, which featured an official government checkmark. 

User @defiignas tweeted, “Promoted scams are getting out of hand. Hacked Twitter account of the Department of Health of the Philippines is promoting a fake Uniswap airdrop. The account has an official government verification check mark.” The tweet containing the scam link was quickly deleted, but several users managed to save screenshots of the fraudulent promotion.

Twitter user @kay_myg said: There was an ad for some department of health promoting a Uniswap phishing site. It came and immediately deleted.

As of this writing, it appears the government account was able to delete the scam tweet.

Photo for the Article - Department of Health Philippines' Twitter Account Briefly Hacked, Promoting Fake Uniswap Airdrop
Screenshot of the DOH account promoting a Uniswap scam. Credits to @DeFiIgnas

Growing Concerns of Crypto Scams on Twitter

This incident comes amidst growing concerns about the prevalence of cryptocurrency scams on social media platforms like Twitter. Scammers have been known to hack verified accounts to promote their fraudulent schemes, taking advantage of Twitter’s updated verification rules. These rules now allow anyone to obtain a verified blue checkmark for a payment of $7, making it easier for scammers to appear legitimate.

UP Twitter Account Incident Last Year

The DOH hacking incident is reminiscent of a similar event that took place exactly a year ago, on April 22nd, 2022. The University of the Philippines System’s (UP) official Twitter account (@upsystem) was compromised, renamed to “takashi murakami,” and used to promote a fraudulent airdrop from “Murakami Flowers Seeds.” The scam claimed that the airdrop was free but required users to pay “gas” fees to participate.

In response to the UP hacking incident, the university issued an announcement urging its community members to stay informed through official accounts on other social media platforms. The institution also assured the public that it was working diligently to retrieve control of its Twitter account, which it eventually did.

What is Uniswap

Uniswap is a decentralized cryptocurrency exchange built on the Ethereum blockchain, allowing users to trade various ERC-20 tokens directly from their wallets without intermediaries. Its automated market-making mechanism uses liquidity pools, which are funded by users, to facilitate trades. However, this decentralized nature also makes it relatively easy for scammers to create fake tokens and set up fraudulent trading pools. Scammers can list these tokens on Uniswap, promote them through social media hacks or misleading advertising, and entice unsuspecting users to invest.

One notable Uniswap scam incident occurred in September 2020, when a fraudulent project called “UniCats” lured users into staking their genuine Uniswap tokens (UNI) in exchange for UniCats tokens. The scammers then exploited a vulnerability in the staking contract, enabling them to drain the victims’ wallets of their original UNI tokens. This incident serves as a reminder of the importance of due diligence when participating in cryptocurrency trades or investments on decentralized platforms like Uniswap.

This article is published on BitPinas: Department of Health Philippines’ Twitter Account Briefly Hacked, Promoting Fake Uniswap Airdrop

Disclaimer: BitPinas articles and its external content are not financial advice. The team serves to deliver independent, unbiased news to provide information for Philippine-crypto and beyond.

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