British Hacker Ordered to Repay £4M After Scamming through Celebrity Twitter Accounts

Joseph O’Connor, a British hacker from Liverpool, has been ordered to repay £4.1 million after hijacking high-profile Twitter accounts as part of a Bitcoin scam. In 2020, O’Connor, using the alias PlugwalkJoe, gained access to over 130 Twitter accounts, including those of influential figures like Barack Obama, Joe Biden, and Elon Musk. The scam involved manipulating Twitter’s internal systems, after convincing employees to provide their login credentials. The hackers then used the accounts of celebrities to promote a fake cryptocurrency giveaway, tricking followers into sending Bitcoin with promises of doubling their money. The scam led to around $110,000 worth of Bitcoin being stolen, which is now worth $1.2 million. O’Connor fled to Spain but was arrested and extradited to the U.S., where he was sentenced to five years for cyber crimes. After his release in 2025, he is now required to hand over 42 Bitcoin and other digital assets that were obtained through hacking activities. The case highlights the dangers of social engineering and the widespread reach of cyber scams.