Instagram, Twitter, and TikTok are joining forces to take on a group of thieves that target rare usernames. All of these platforms have removed dozens of accounts associated with the group.
Social Media Platforms Take Down OGUsers
The hunt for username resellers mainly centered around accounts associated with OGUsers, a website dedicated to selling hijacked social media handles. The majority of these coveted usernames consist of one word or even one letter, like @Geek or @S. Once a hacker obtains one of these handles, they can be sold for thousands of dollars.
A report by Krebs on Security first unveiled Instagram, TikTok, and Twitter’s efforts to squash this username hacking group. The Facebook-owned Instagram notes that it has removed around 400 users for hacking and selling accounts.
The banned accounts weren’t just limited to those who did the actual hijacking, but also consisted of the users who worked out the account transfer. Users who processed the transactions between the buyers and sellers were also removed.
A Facebook spokesperson told CNET that these accounts “harass, extort and cause harm to the Instagram community.” The spokesperson also noted that the platform “will continue to do all we can to make it difficult for them to profit from Instagram usernames.”
TikTok and Twitter also took action on accounts with ties to OGUsers. In a statement to Krebs, TikTok noted that “as part of our ongoing work to find and stop inauthentic behavior, we recently reclaimed a number of TikTok usernames that were being used for account squatting.”
Username hijackers often steal handles through harassment, hacking, and extortion. These bad actors also resort to using SIM card swapping, a technique that involves stealing the data from your SIM card and using that to gain access to your social media accounts.
OGUsers made a name for itself after a high-profile Twitter hack in July of 2020. Hackers associated with the OGUsers group hijacked the accounts of famous users, including the accounts of Barack Obama, Elon Musk, Kanye West, and Bill Gates. The group then used these accounts to execute a bitcoin scam.
Keeping Your Social Accounts Safe
Although Instagram, Twitter, and TikTok took action on this group of username hackers, there’s likely still more out there. That’s why it’s important to always use some form of two-factor authentication on all of your social media accounts.
Instagram also added an extra security feature that may be related to this crackdown. The platform now lets you restore recently deleted posts, as username hackers often erase their victims’ posts before reselling the accounts.