Paraguay president’s X account hacked, falsely claims Bitcoin as legal tender

Paraguay’s government announced Monday that President Santiago Peña’s X account may have been hacked after it shared a post falsely claiming that Bitcoin had been declared legal tender in the country.

The post, written in English and accompanied by a Spanish-language statement, asserted that Paraguay was launching a $5 million Bitcoin-backed reserve fund and integrating the cryptocurrency into its national financial system. 

It featured what appeared to be an official government decree, using the national coat of arms and official-looking formatting.

The now-deleted tweet immediately drew skepticism due to its promotional tone, formatting inconsistencies, and absence from any official Paraguayan government channels. No confirmation appeared on government websites or state-run media.

‘Irregular activity’ 

In a statement, Paraguayan officials said the President’s account “presented irregular activity,” suggesting unauthorized access. They urged citizens to disregard the post and wait for verified information.

“The president’s official X account has presented irregular activity which suggests possible unauthorized entry,” the government said in a statement, per Reuters. 

Countries like El Salvador have made Bitcoin (BTC) legal tender, but Paraguay has not previously announced any such plans.

Paraguayan authorities had not provided further details about who may have accessed the account or how.