Social platform X is weighing new limits on first-time posts that mention cryptocurrency as it seeks to curb phishing-driven scams, the company said Wednesday.
Nikita Bier, X’s head of product, posted on the platform that accounts referencing crypto for the first time could be auto-locked and required to complete verification before posting. Bier argued the measure would remove most incentives for scammers, adding that broader email-phishing protections — which he suggested Google is not adequately enforcing — need improvement.
The announcement followed a fraud incident in which an account impersonating the veterinarian of “Jonathan,” a long-lived tortoise, posted a link to a Solana-based memecoin tied to a false death report. BBC and other outlets later debunked the claim and confirmed Jonathan is alive.
Data from CoinMarketCap showed the token named JONATHAN spiked by more than 6,000% amid the posts before collapsing; it was trading around $0.00007043 at publication. The impersonator’s post reportedly solicited crypto donations and directed users to the memecoin, a tactic often used to drive rapid speculative inflows and then exit.
The real vet, Joe Hollins, told The Guardian that the person posing as him on X was soliciting crypto and that the stunt was a con rather than a prank. X and other social networks regularly face scams where anonymous or breached accounts promote fake tokens, “double your money” schemes, or unauthorized coins tied to public figures. Past examples include unauthorised memecoins referencing politicians and celebrities.
Bier’s proposed auto-lock and verification step targets first-time crypto mentions specifically, aiming to reduce the reach of newly created or compromised accounts pushing fraudulent crypto links. The move reflects growing pressure on platforms to be more proactive after high-profile social-media-driven crypto rug pulls and phishing attacks.
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