X, the social media platform owned by Elon Musk, plans to automatically lock accounts that post about cryptocurrency for the first time. The feature aims to curb a surge in phishing attacks using hijacked accounts to promote crypto scams.

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Head of Product Nikita Bier confirmed the move, saying the company is implementing “auto-locking and verification” for users who mention crypto for the first time. Those accounts will remain locked until verification is complete. “This should kill 99% of the incentive,” Bier said, noting that many hackers target accounts mainly to spread fraudulent crypto schemes.

Yeah we’re aware.

We are in the process of implementing auto-locking + verification if a user posts about cryptocurrency for the first time in the history of their account.

This should kill 99% of the incentive, especially since Google isn’t doing shit to stop the phishing…

— Nikita Bier (@nikitabier) April 1, 2026

Response to Rising Phishing Attacks

The change follows a wave of attacks that use fake copyright violation emails to trick users into revealing login and two-factor authentication details. Stolen accounts are then used to promote fraudulent projects, tokens, or giveaways.

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Earlier, Bier stressed that he “genuinely want(s) crypto to proliferate on X,” but drew a hard line against products that “create incentives to spam, raid, and harass,” saying they worsen the experience for millions of users while benefiting only a small group of promoters. He framed the company’s latest safeguards as an attempt to preserve X as a viable home for legitimate crypto activity without letting growth tools turn into a subsidy for coordinated abuse.

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The move comes as X grapples with what analysts have branded a mounting “bot crisis,” with AI-driven scam accounts exploiting the platform’s recommendation algorithms to push deepfake-heavy crypto fraud and fake trading tools at scale.

In late 2025, the company also said it had dismantled a bribery network tied to crypto scam accounts, after suspended users allegedly tried to pay middlemen to bribe insiders and restore handles previously used to promote high-risk tokens and giveaways.

X has exposed and is taking strong action against a bribery network targeting our platform. Suspended accounts involved in crypto scams and platform manipulation paid middlemen to attempt to bribe employees to reinstate their suspended accounts. These perpetrators exploit social…

— Global Government Affairs (@GlobalAffairs) September 19, 2025

Besides that, phishing Phishing Phishing is a form of cyber-attack in which fake websites, emails, and text messages are used to elicit personal data. The most common targets in this assault are passwords, private cryptocurrency keys, and credit card details.Phishers disguise themselves as reputable businesses and other types of entities. In certain instances, reputable government organizations or authorities are impersonated in order to collect this data.Because phishing relies on psychological manipulation rather than techno Phishing is a form of cyber-attack in which fake websites, emails, and text messages are used to elicit personal data. The most common targets in this assault are passwords, private cryptocurrency keys, and credit card details.Phishers disguise themselves as reputable businesses and other types of entities. In certain instances, reputable government organizations or authorities are impersonated in order to collect this data.Because phishing relies on psychological manipulation rather than techno Read this Term and crypto-related scams have plagued X since its days as Twitter. Impersonators posing as public figures or companies often lure victims into sending digital assets, which cannot be recovered once transferred.

One of the most notable incidents occurred in 2020, when hackers accessed Twitter’s internal systems and used verified accounts to promote a fake Bitcoin Bitcoin While some may still be wondering what is Bitcoin, who created Bitcoin, or how does Bitcoin work, one thing is certain: Bitcoin has changed the world.No one can remain indifferent to this revolutionary, decentralized, digital asset nor to its blockchain technology.In fact, we’ve gone a long way ever since a Florida resident Laszlo Hanyecz made BTC’s first official commercial transaction with a real company by trading 10,000 Bitcoins for 2 pizzas at his local Papa John’s.One could now argue that While some may still be wondering what is Bitcoin, who created Bitcoin, or how does Bitcoin work, one thing is certain: Bitcoin has changed the world.No one can remain indifferent to this revolutionary, decentralized, digital asset nor to its blockchain technology.In fact, we’ve gone a long way ever since a Florida resident Laszlo Hanyecz made BTC’s first official commercial transaction with a real company by trading 10,000 Bitcoins for 2 pizzas at his local Papa John’s.One could now argue that Read this Term giveaway, stealing over $100,000, Coindesk reported.

Broader Push for Platform Security

X has increased efforts to prevent such activity, introducing stricter API limits and expanding bot detection. Bier criticized Google for not blocking phishing emails that reach users’ inboxes, saying Gmail’s lax filtering still exposes users to risks.

The new auto-lock policy is now set to build on X’s broader security improvements and could sharply reduce the use of compromised accounts for crypto scams.