X is reportedly planning to implement auto-locking and verification for first-time posts mentioning cryptocurrency to combat phishing scams. This follows an incident where a scammer impersonated the veterinarian of a 193-year-old tortoise named Jonathan, promoting a Solana-based memecoin that surged over 6,000% before sharply dropping. Social media impersonation scams remain a persistent threat in the crypto space.
X is considering implementing new rules for first-time user posts about cryptocurrency to crack down on scammers using phishing attacks. Nikita Bier, the platform’s head of product, announced on Wednesday that X could auto-lock accounts mentioning crypto for the first time and require verification. “This should kill 99% of the incentive, especially since Google isn’t doing shit to stop the phishing emails,” he stated.
The announcement came amid reports of a scammer pretending to be a veterinarian responsible for a tortoise named Jonathan. According to a BBC report, the scammer pretended to be veterinarian Joe Hollins, posting that the tortoise had died on Saint Helena. The account linked to a Solana-based memecoin called JONATHAN.
Data from CoinMarketCap showed the price of JONATHAN surged by more than 6,000% amid the social media posts before sharply dropping. At the time of publication, the token was priced at $0.00007043. The real Hollins told The Guardian, “Jonathan the tortoise is very much alive. I believe on X the person purporting to be me is asking for crypto donations, so it’s not even an April fool joke. It’s a con.”
Many scammers use anonymous accounts on social platforms to convince users to send cryptocurrency based on false pretenses. Although impersonating an animal is unusual, unauthorized memecoins have been created based on public figures like Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi and US President Donald Trump. Hackers frequently use X accounts or gain access to legitimate accounts to post similar scams.
