UK Seeks £4.1M Bitcoin Recovery From Twitter Hack Figure Joseph O’Connor

Highlights:

• UK seeks £4.1M Bitcoin as rising crypto prices lift the value of assets tied to the 2020 Twitter breach.
• CPS targets crypto linked to Joseph O’Connor as investigators report stronger action against digital crime.
• Hack losses drop in October as platforms use better tools to limit attacks and reduce user exposure.

The Crown Prosecution Service moved to recover millions in digital assets connected to Joseph James O’Connor. The agency confirmed a civil recovery order that targets several cryptocurrencies worth about £4.1 million. The assets include Bitcoin, Ethereum, BUSD, and USDC. The order followed a Property Freezing Order that officials issued during his extradition process. O’Connor did not join the London hearing, but his mother said he agreed to surrender any interest in the assets.

Hacker Behind Musk and Obama Bitcoin Scam Faces Massive £4 Million Crypto Seizure

Hacker Joseph James O’Connor has been forced to give up more than £4 million in cryptocurrency tied to the 2020 Twitter breach. His stolen assets surged in value while he served a five-year… pic.twitter.com/4Vgq4t5Xr1

— BABA CRYPTO (@babacryptoio) November 18, 2025

O’Connor received a five-year prison sentence in the United States in 2023. Prosecutors said he played a major role in the 2020 Twitter breach. The attack compromised over 130 accounts, including those owned by Barack Obama, Joe Biden, Elon Musk, and other public figures. The group used access to Twitter’s internal tools to push a Bitcoin scam. Victims sent funds after seeing messages that promised a double return.

Authorities said the scheme generated more than $794,000 at the time. The stolen assets later increased in value due to strong market gains. Adrian Foster from the CPS said the agency will continue to target criminal profits, even when convictions take place abroad. He said the law gives enough tools to prevent offenders from benefiting from illegal activity.

UK Seeks £4.1M Bitcoin as Value of Stolen Assets Soars With Market Rally

Bitcoin’s strong rally pushed the value of the stolen assets to more than £4.1 million. The rise created a wider gap between the original loss and the current valuation. Investigators said the stolen Bitcoin now trades near $92,800. The gain sharply increased the worth of O’Connor’s remaining holdings.

The 2020 breach spread across the platform and forced Twitter, now called X, to lock verified accounts. The company acted after the scam reached about 350 million users. Prosecutors said two British associates opened crypto accounts for O’Connor. They claimed that the two individuals were not part of the fraud and were unaware of the scheme.

This year also saw an increase in the global number of cybercrimes. Global Ledger data indicated that hackers stole over $3 billion in 119 incidents in the first half of this year. This figure is already more than the entire amount of last year. Analysts linked the rise to more complex extortion schemes and aggressive laundering efforts. The DOJ also moved to seize over $15 million in USDT linked to North Korea’s APT38. Europol arrested a group that created more than 49 million fake accounts using a large SIM-farm setup. Officials said the group used those accounts to run major online scams.

Crypto Platforms Report Lower Hack Losses Despite Ongoing Social Media Scams

October recorded the lowest monthly loss for crypto platforms this year. Data showed the sector lost only $18.18 million. The figure represented an 85% drop from September. Analysts said better security tools supported the decline. They also said stronger monitoring systems helped reduce major losses in the short term.

The crypto market had its safest month of the year in October hacks fell by ~85 % to only $18 M. Security is returning, and that’s bullish for capital inflows. pic.twitter.com/WRLKEOowWP

— R3ncso (@R3ncso) November 2, 2025

However, more attacks continued on social media. Hackers used fake meme coin promotions to trick users. One takeover on Instagram pushed a false UFC token and generated $1.4 million for attackers. Another attack on the McDonald’s account created a fake Grimace token that took $700,000 from users.

O’Connor’s case added more evidence of that trend. His actions highlighted how criminals use trusted profiles to gain access to victims’ funds. Officials said the new recovery order will help reduce the long-term impact of such scams.