Professional Footballer Hacked and Blackmailed via Instagram

Severity: Low (Score: 36.9)

Sources: Goal

Summary

Raphael Assibey-Mensah, a player for Rot-Weiß Erfurt, fell victim to a cyber-attack that compromised his Instagram account. The incident began when a post falsely claimed he had received a significant cryptocurrency deposit, misleading his followers. Assibey-Mensah lost control of his account and was locked out, only realizing the scam when friends and family contacted him. The attackers escalated their efforts by attempting to blackmail him for money. Fortunately, he regained access using multi-factor authentication and identified the hacker's phone number. When contacted, the hacker demanded payment, but Assibey-Mensah refused. The incident highlights the risks associated with social media and the importance of robust security measures. Key Points: • Raphael Assibey-Mensah's Instagram account was hacked and used for a cryptocurrency scam. • The attacker attempted to blackmail the footballer after taking control of his account. • Multi-factor authentication helped Assibey-Mensah regain access and identify the perpetrator.

Key Entities

• Rot-Weiß Erfurt (company)
• goal.com (domain)
• Instagram (platform)