Hackers have targeted the leader of the House of Commons’s social media account promoting the launch of a bogus House of Commons crypto coin.
A link posted to Labour MP Lucy Powell’s X account called for investors in a so-called “$HOC” House of Commons coin, alongside the House of Commons logo.
“House of Commons official crypto coin is now live!” a post from Ms Powell’s official account read.
A second post from Ms Powell’s account promised the House of Commons Coin would be “a community-driven digital currency bringing people’s power to the blockchain”.
“Transparency, participation, trust,” it said.
The posts were swiftly deleted, but the hijacking of a senior MP’s account highlights the increasing risk of cryptocurrency scams facing the public.
Ms Powell declined to comment, but her team said “steps were quickly taken” to secure her account and remove the misleading posts.
A House of Commons spokesman said: “UK Parliament takes cyber security extremely seriously.
“We provide advice to users – including Members – to make them aware of the risks and how to manage their digital safety, however we do not comment on specific details of our cyber security policies”.
Cyber security firm Darktrace warned the hack comes as criminals are increasingly targeting high-profile individuals and institutions.
Vice president for security and AI strategy Nathaniel Jones said: “The surge in crypto fraud isn’t surprising – we’re seeing fraudsters evolve their tactics as fast as the market itself. In an industry deliberately designed to preserve anonymity, tracking and investigating fraud becomes exponentially more complex.
“The industry stands at a critical juncture where security can no longer be an afterthought – it must be woven into the very fabric of how these platforms operate.”
Crypto-scammers have previously used deepfake videos of Sir Keir Starmer and Prince William to dupe would-be investors.
Those who clicked on the link shared via Ms Powell’s account were taken to an investment website and asked to connect a crypto wallet before buying various currencies.
Last year saw a surge in reports of hacked social media and email accounts, according to data from Action Fraud, the UK’s national reporting centre for fraud and cybercrime.
A staggering 35,434 cases were reported throughout the year, a significant jump from the 22,530 reported in 2023.
Action Fraud said criminals often target accounts for financial gain, using compromised profiles to perpetrate investment or ticket fraud.
In other cases, the account itself is the prize, stolen and potentially sold on for illicit purposes.
Another common fraud happens when account details are gained via phishing scams or data breaches, such as leaked passwords.
People often use the same passwords across their accounts, so a leaked password from one website can leave several online accounts vulnerable to hacking.