[Asia Economy Reporter Park Jihwan] On the morning of the 12th, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Twitter account was hacked, and fake news claiming that India had adopted Bitcoin as legal tender was posted.
According to Indian Express and others, at 2:24 AM local time, a tweet was posted on Prime Minister Modi's official Twitter account stating, "India has officially adopted Bitcoin as legal tender," and "The government has purchased 500 BTC and is distributing it to all citizens."
The tweet was deleted shortly afterward, but screenshots quickly spread, and Indians immediately raised the possibility of hacking.
The Indian Prime Minister's Office stated an hour later, "There was a brief issue with the Prime Minister's Twitter account, but it was immediately restored," and "Please disregard any tweets shared during the period when the issue occurred."
This is not the first time a fake tweet has been posted on the Indian Prime Minister's Twitter account. Last year, a fake Twitter account of Prime Minister Modi posted a tweet saying, "India is now starting cryptocurrency. Please donate Bitcoin to the COVID-19 fund," which caused controversy.
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