Hackers Attack Ghanaian President’s Account to Promote Crypto Project
Date: 2025-03-19 Author: Gabriel Deangelo Categories: IN WORLD
During the hack, the scammers posted a tweet claiming that the Solanafrica project would allow free payments across Africa using the Solana blockchain. The attackers also encouraged the president’s followers to invest in the project, claiming that it would have a significant impact on financial transactions in the region.
Shortly after the hack, the Ghanaian president regained access to his account. His spokesman, Kwakye Ofosu, urged citizens to ignore any suspicious messages coming from the presidential administration that are related to cryptocurrency.
Cryptocurrency continues to grow in popularity in Africa, but so do the number of scams. Weak regulation in the cryptocurrency market creates conditions for frequent attacks on the accounts of famous people. In July 2023, Ghanaian opposition leader Julius Malema's account was also compromised to promote fake tokens. In 2022, attackers hacked the account of prominent Nigerian entrepreneur Tony Elumelu to conduct fake cryptocurrency giveaways.
With such incidents on the rise, cybersecurity expert Abubakar Issaka, who works at the Ghana Cyber Surveillance and Data Protection Centre, has suggested increasing the level of protection for high-profile individuals. According to him, two-factor authentication alone is no longer enough to prevent such hacks. Issaka believes in restricting access to third-party applications and creating a special team that will monitor politicians' accounts 24/7. This team could quickly neutralize any suspicious activity.
The case has become a reminder of the importance of strengthening cybersecurity amid the growing popularity of digital assets in Africa. In February 2025, hackers also hijacked the account of Nobel Prize-winning economist Paul Krugman to promote the scam New York Times Coin (NYTC).
