Lucy Powell’s X account was hacked to promote a scam crypto token named House of Commons Coin. The breach led to posts that were quickly removed, with minimal investment interest shown in the token. This event mirrors a similar hacking incident involving Ghana’s President Mahama, showcasing ongoing vulnerabilities in political social media accounts.
The X account of UK MP Lucy Powell, Leader of the House of Commons, was compromised to promote a fraudulent cryptocurrency known as House of Commons Coin (HOC). On April 15, a series of posts shared links about this so-called “community-driven digital currency,” which have since been deleted. Powell’s staff confirmed the breach and stated that measures were promptly taken to secure the account and remove the misleading posts.
According to DEX Screener, the HOC token attracted minimal interest, with a peak market capitalisation exceeding $24,000 directly after Powell’s account was hacked. Overall, the token recorded 736 transactions and a trading volume of only $71,000, demonstrating a lack of genuine investment.
While Powell has not previously endorsed any cryptocurrency, it is not unusual for politicians to back legitimate digital currencies. Notably, former US President Donald Trump and his wife, Melania, promoted memecoins shortly before entering the White House, drawing criticism from politicians across the spectrum. Similarly, Argentine President Javier Milei faced backlash after endorsing a token called LIBRA, which plummeted in value, inciting a political scandal and demands for an investigation into the president’s involvement.
Powell’s account hack resembles a previous incident involving Ghana’s President John Mahama, who experienced a similar breach in March 2025. During this attack, his account was taken over for 48 hours to advertise a scam cryptocurrency named Solanafrica, targeting Mahama’s 2.4 million followers with claims of instantaneous, free payments across Africa with support from Solana and the Bank of Ghana. Mahama’s team successfully regained control of the account two days later, advising the public to ignore any suspicious cryptocurrency posts.
