"Scam Uses Elon Musk’s Name to Trick People Out of US$2 Million in Bitcoin"

Cryptocurrency giveaway scams have been around for a few years now. Cybersecurity firm Adaptiv has discovered that fraudsters are now name-dropping Musk (the founder of Tesla and SpaceX) into the bitcoin address itself, which has tricked victims out of more than $2 million worth of bitcoin over that past two months. The adversaries incorporate a custom element or word into the bitcoin address itself, for example, "1MuskSEYstWetqTFn5Au4m4GFg7xJaNVN2" or "1ELonMUskSEYstWetqTFn5Au4m4GFg7xJaNVN2". The adversaries ask people to send digital cash to a bitcoin address under the promise of doubling the sum as part of a giveaway. The researchers discovered 67 bitcoin addresses with the word "Musk" in them. One of the ways these giveaway scams are organized is through hijacked YouTube accounts with many followers. 

WeLiveSecurity reports: "Scam Uses Elon Musk’s Name to Trick People Out of US$2 Million in Bitcoin"