Ghanaian President John Dramani Mahama has regained control of his verified X account after it was hacked for 48 hours and used to promote a fake cryptocurrency scheme, his spokesperson confirmed on Tuesday.
The breach, which began on Saturday, became evident on Sunday when the compromised account began promoting “Solanafrica,” a fake blockchain project attributed to Mahama. The hackers claimed that the initiative, allegedly led by the president, aims to enable free financial transactions across Africa using the Solana network.
In an effort to lure investors, the fake posts urged Mahama’s followers to join the scheme. Despite efforts by his team to remove the misleading content, the hackers continued to post crypto-related messages, including hints of launching a new memecoin.
Mahama’s spokesman, Kwakye Ofosu, has assured the public that the issue has been resolved. “The president’s X account was compromised, but we have successfully regained control. We urge everyone to disregard the cryptocurrency-related messages that appeared during the breach,” Ofosu told AFP.
Rising Concerns Over Crypto-Related Attacks
Mahama is not the first high-profile figure to suffer such a cyberattack. In July 2023, South African opposition leader Julius Malema’s X account was hacked and used to promote a fake token, while Nigerian businessman Tony Elumelu faced a similar breach in 2022 when scammers flooded his timeline with fake crypto giveaways.
Experts warn that the growing popularity of digital assets in Africa, combined with weak regulatory oversight, is making verified accounts a prime target for scammers.
“High-level individuals, especially those in government, must step up their digital security. Two-factor authentication alone is not enough; monitoring login activity, restricting third-party app access and having dedicated cybersecurity teams are essential to prevent such incidents,” said Abubakar Issaka, a cybersecurity expert at the Ghana Cyber Surveillance and Data Protection Centre.
Authorities Take Action
Following the attack, Mahama told his followers that his team had worked with X’s support team to restore the account. “Thank you for your investigations and offers of assistance. My account is now safe,” he wrote on Tuesday.
Authorities have also taken measures to prevent further abuse as scammers continue to use the growing popularity of Solana, known for its lower transaction fees compared to Bitcoin and Ethereum, to defraud unsuspecting investors.