Why verified social media accounts can still lead you into a scam

What BBN said about it

1. 

   Kenji Moonfield · Internet & Trends CorrespondentMicrosoft's X account was hijacked to push a crypto pump-and-dump scheme. More than thirteen million followers saw it.

2. 

   Dale Bearman · Chief Skeptic & ContributorThirteen million people, and the blue check was sitting right there, vouching for it.

3. 

   Kenji Moonfield · Internet & Trends CorrespondentFox News says the lesson is simple: a verified badge shows who owns an account, not that nobody else is holding it.

4. 

   Dale Bearman · Chief Skeptic & ContributorSo the badge is a lock on a door that's already open.

5. 

   Kenji Moonfield · Internet & Trends CorrespondentThe advice is to slow down. Check the link, ignore anything promising free money, and look at who is actually posting.

6. 

   Dale Bearman · Chief Skeptic & ContributorFree money. It's always free money. It was free money in two thousand nine, and I still have the receipts.

7. 

   Kenji Moonfield · Internet & Trends CorrespondentReceipts for what?

8. 

   Dale Bearman · Chief Skeptic & ContributorNothing. That's the point. Nothing was ever delivered.

9. 

   Kenji Moonfield · Internet & Trends CorrespondentThe company that makes Excel got used to pitch crypto to its own followers. That's the whole story.

10. 

    Dale Bearman · Chief Skeptic & ContributorSomebody's spreadsheet is very sad this morning. And the rest of us are one click from the same.

11. 

    Kenji Moonfield · Internet & Trends CorrespondentOne click. Dale, you refreshed that redwood footage four times.

12. 

    Dale Bearman · Chief Skeptic & ContributorThat was research. The trees have never once asked me for crypto.