A major QAnon channel on encrypted messaging app Telegram has been rebranded to push an Elon Musk Bitcoin scam, according to political analyst Arieh Kovler.
In his Twitter thread, Kovler shares a screenshot that shows multiple messages promoting an advance fee scam: people are asked to send a certain amount of Bitcoin to an address that purportedly belongs to the Tesla CEO in order to receive more. Of course, they will never see their money again.
The channel—which was previously called "Great Awakening"—boasts 125,000 subscribers, many of whom have already parted ways with their coins. Over $16,500 worth of BTC has already been sent to the fraudulent address.
A systematic scammer
Crypto Twitter has been teeming with Elon Musk cryptocurrency scams for years, with verified accounts being hacked to promote them.
Back in July, a Florida teenager managed to hijack the accounts of Joe Biden, Elon Musk and Kim Kardashian to advertise a fraudulent Bitcoin giveaway. As reported by U.Today, he was recently sentenced to three years in prison.
However, the Telegram Bitcoin scam is actually run by a person who, according to Kovler, was never a QAnon believer. Instead, he or she used the fringe ideology simply to gain a following. After the proponents of Q got de-platformed by social media, apps like Telegram become their new home.
The scammer also has another group that is asking for donations to "fight the Deep State."