Social network X (formerly Twitter) announced that it is taking legal action against users who have been permanently banned from the network but have attempted to regain their accounts by bribing employees. Among them are cryptocurrency fraudsters who, according to X, used intermediaries and bribed platform workers.
“X has uncovered and is taking strong action against a bribery network that targeted our platform,” the company said in a statement. According to the company, these perpetrators did not focus on just one social network, but also abused Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, Minecraft, and Roblox. The investigation revealed links to broader criminal structures, including a group known as “The Com.”
FBI warns about “The Com”
The U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) warned in July that “The Com” is a growing and highly adaptable online network specializing in cybercrime. According to the FBI, it is composed mainly of minors and has been characterized by increasingly sophisticated methods over the past four years, from identity concealment and money laundering to complex financial transactions.
X and a long history of crypto scams
This is not X’s first experience with crypto scams. Back in 2020, when the platform was still called Twitter and owned by Jack Dorsey, hackers broke into the accounts of a number of well-known personalities and brands—from Barack Obama to Apple and Uber to Kanye West—to promote a Bitcoin scam.
Another attack followed last year, this time with the aim of spreading a meme token built on the Solana blockchain. Among others, the accounts of company Lenovo India, director Oliver Stone, and soccer player Neymar Jr. were compromised.
X announced that it is cooperating with law enforcement authorities on the case, but did not provide further details on the nature of the banned accounts. It is not yet clear how extensive the bribery network itself was, nor how many accounts were successfully restored through this mechanism.
