QUADRIGA INITIATIVE
CRYPTO WATCHDOG & FRAUD RECOVERY PLATFORM
A COMMUNITY-BASED, NOT-FOR-PROFIT
UNKNOWN
MAY 2025
GLOBAL
COINTELEGRAPH
DESCRIPTION OF EVENTS
Founded in 2013, Cointelegraph is a privately held company specializing in cryptocurrency, blockchain, and fintech news. Cointelegraph is a leading independent digital media outlet. It delivers daily news, in-depth analysis, and educational content across various topics, including Bitcoin, Ethereum, decentralized finance (DeFi), non-fungible tokens (NFTs), and Web3. The platform is recognized for its comprehensive coverage, featuring expert opinions, price charts, and reports on the social impact of digital currencies.
Headquartered in the United States, Cointelegraph has expanded its presence internationally, with teams in over 30 countries. The company publishes more than 1,000 articles monthly and offers a range of resources, such as a mobile app, video content, and educational materials like "Cryptopedia" . Despite its prominence, Cointelegraph has faced criticism over the years for occasional inaccuracies and sensational headlines, which have led to discussions about its editorial practices within the crypto community.
In addition to its U.S. headquarters, Cointelegraph has expanded its global presence with offices in various countries, including China, Japan, South Korea, and the United Arab Emirates.
Despite its prominence, Cointelegraph has faced criticism over the years for occasional inaccuracies and sensational headlines, which have led to discussions about its editorial practices within the crypto community.
This breach may indicate weaknesses in the account’s access controls, security monitoring, or incident response procedures, which allowed the attacker to maintain control long enough to disseminate deceptive content before the account was secured.
This scam begins with the compromise of a high-profile, verified X (formerly Twitter) account—in this case, @Cointelegraph with over 2.6 million followers. Once attackers gain control of the account, they use its credibility to send direct messages to targets. These messages claim that an article has been published involving the recipient’s content, prompting them to click a link to review it. This appeal to ego and curiosity is a common psychological hook in social engineering attacks.
The link in the message leads to a phishing site that closely mimics the legitimate Cointelegraph domain but uses a subtle typo, such as “cointetegraph.com.” This tactic, known as typo-squatting, relies on the visual similarity of the fake domain to the real one to deceive the user. Once on the site, the victim is prompted to log in using their X credentials. The login page is a spoof, designed to harvest usernames, passwords, and potentially two-factor authentication codes.
Even if accessed in a private browsing window, the phishing site can still capture login data. After credentials are submitted, attackers can immediately access and potentially take over the victim's X account. They may even try to bypass two-factor authentication using real-time phishing techniques. The scam is particularly effective because it leverages the authority of a compromised trusted source, uses a well-crafted deception, and targets users' natural reactions to being mentioned in the media.
The attackers reportedly launched a memecoin TELE after sending private messages impersonating CoinTelegraph to trick others into compromising their password.
There are limited specific details about the amount lost.
Many community members acted to warn others to avoid purchasing the fraudulent token.
CoinTelegraph regained control of their account. There is no word on any assistance for users who were tricked into purchasing the coins.
There does not appear to be any attempt to assist any users who may have been affected by the incident.
The incident highlights a growing trend of social engineering in crypto-related cyberattacks, emphasizing the urgent need for vigilance, two-factor authentication, and skepticism toward unexpected links—even from trusted sources.
CoinTelegraph is a U.S.-based, globally active digital media outlet specializing in cryptocurrency, blockchain, and fintech news. The outlet recently suffered a security breach when its X account, with over 2.6 million followers, was compromised. Hackers used the verified account to run a phishing scam involving a fake link and spoofed website, tricking users into revealing login credentials, and promoting a fraudulent memecoin called TELE. Although CoinTelegraph quickly regained control and launched an internal investigation. There is no assistance provided to affected users who were tricked into purchases.
Cointelegraph's official X account was suspected to be stolen, and it had posted token contract tweets and sent fraudulent links to platform authors - PANewsLab (Jun 9)
The DeFi Edge - "@Cointelegraph account sent me a DM asking me to review an article they said involved my content. I'm already on red alert for scams due to the fake zoom / bloomberg stuff. I saw that the account's legit (2.6m followers and plenty of mutuals)" - Twitter/X (Jun 9)
The official X (Twitter) account of Cointelegraph is suspected to be hacked, spreading phishing links - Binance Square (Jun 9)
Cointelegraph Twitter Hacked, Phishing Attack Targets Crypto Users - AInvest (Jun 9)
CoinTelegraph - "Our X account was briefly compromised on May 10, leading to unauthorized posts being published. Our IT team regained access to our account within minutes and worked swiftly removed the content. A full investigation is underway —with support to ensure transparency and to protect our community." - Twitter/X (Jun 9)
Cointelegraph’s X Account Compromised in Meme Coin Scam - BitGet News (Jun 9)
About CoinTelegraph (Jun 9)
CoinTelegraph LinkedIn (Jun 9)
Cointelegraph Announces Chinese HQ, Bolstering Its International Expansion - CoinTelegraph (Jun 9)
CoinTelegraph Office Locations - Employbl (Jun 9)
Cointelegraph Company Profile 2024 - Pitchbook (Jun 9)
Cointelegraph Overview - SignalHire Company Profile (Jun 9)
Cointelegraph: Contact Information, Journalists, and Overview - Muckrack (Jun 9)
Another example why not to trust Cointelegraph - CryptoCurrency Reddit (Jun 9)
