
A 17-year-old in Tampa, Florida, is being accused of taking over Elon Musk, Bill Gates, Barack Obama and numerous other celebrities’ Twitter accounts to scam people into sending him Bitcoin.
The teen, whose name and photo CNBC is not publishing because he is a minor, was arrested and charged, the Hillsborough State Attorney Andrew Warren’s office announced on Friday.
“These crimes were perpetrated using the names of famous people and celebrities, but they’re not the primary victims here,” Warren said in a statement. “This ‘Bit-Con’ was designed to steal money from regular Americans from all over the country, including here in Florida. This massive fraud was orchestrated right here in our backyard, and we will not stand for that.”
Warren’s office has filed 30 felony charges against th...