Official Garda X account hacked and used to push scam

An Garda Siochana’s official account on X has been hacked and taken over by cryptocurrency scammers, who are using it to spread a bogus ‘airdrop’ scam.

The verified @gardainfo account, which is followed by almost 300,000 people, was compromised on Wednesday night.

Its name, profile picture, banner and bio have all been replaced with branding imitating Xaman, a cryptocurrency wallet app linked to XRP.

What the scam looks like

Since the takeover, the account has been firing out the same post over and over, tagging large numbers of users and claiming they are eligible to ‘claim’ an XRP allocation as part of a supposed ‘airdrop’.

It is a scam. The posts are designed to lure people into clicking a link and connecting their cryptocurrency wallet, at which point scammers can drain their funds.

Crucially, there is no airdrop. Xaman’s own makers have repeatedly warned that the company does not run airdrops, has never done so and never will, and that any post claiming an Xaman airdrop or free XRP is fake.

Hijacking high-profile verified accounts to push crypto scams has become a well-worn trick, with the official accounts of companies including Microsoft, Hyundai and Netgear all targeted in the same way.

Scammers prize verified accounts with large followings precisely because the blue tick makes the con harder to spot.

The account already has a new username or handle, but anyone who is suddenly tagged about crypto giveaways or ‘allocations’ should steer well clear. Do not click any links and do not connect your wallet.

Extra.ie have reached out to An Garda Siochana for comment.