09.06.2025 19:40
Paraguay's President Santiago Peña's verified X account was compromised, resulting in a fraudulent announcement declaring Bitcoin as legal tender. The unauthorized post, featuring an image deceptively titled "Presidential speech about Bitcoin legalization as legal tender," falsely claimed a new law formally recognized Bitcoin and promised a $5 million government BTC reserve within the national treasury. This fabricated decree also included the unsubstantiated promise of bonds exclusively for cryptocurrency holders, complete with a provided Bitcoin address – an address that, at the time of writing, remains unfunded. The deceptive post, which circulated widely on social media, included an English caption reiterating the false legal tender claim and urging investors to acquire Bitcoin immediately.
Swiftly following the publication of this fraudulent post, the official account of the Paraguayan Presidency refuted the claims. The presidency directly addressed the incident, stating that irregular activity on President Peña's X account strongly suggested unauthorized access. To investigate this matter, the national incident response team, CERTPY, is actively collaborating with X's personnel to ascertain the details of the security breach. The public was advised to disregard any recent posts from the President's account until official confirmation is provided. Crucially, the statement offered no specifics regarding the nature of the security breach, omitting details such as how access was gained or the duration of the compromise.
It is imperative to underscore that no official Paraguayan governmental decree exists to support the assertions made in the fraudulent post. The Paraguayan government has not introduced any legislation granting Bitcoin legal tender status, allocating a $5 million Bitcoin reserve, or offering bonds specifically to cryptocurrency users. The presidency emphasized their commitment to transparent communication, assuring the public that any genuine policy changes would be formally announced through official channels. The incident highlights the vulnerability of high-profile social media accounts to malicious actors and underscores the importance of verifying information from official sources.
