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PC Gamer
PC Gamer
Rich Stanton

Jailed British hacker who hijacked X accounts including Apple, Bill Gates, and Barack Obama—then used them for a 'double your money' Bitcoin scam—has to hand back $5.4 million in ill-gotten crypto gains

A bitcoin behind bars.

A Brit who hacked multiple high-profile Twitter / X accounts in 2020, and who was extradited to the US and jailed in 2023, has now been ordered to hand over £4.1 million ($5.4 million) in ill-gotten crypto gains (thanks, BBC).

Joseph O'Connor, now 26 years old, hijacked over 130 accounts, including those of Apple, Uber, Bill Gates, Elon Musk, Barack Obama, and Kanye West. Alongside other hackers, three of whom have been charged, they then impersonated the companies / individuals in question and used the accounts to promote a classic "double your money" scam.

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