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Trump Website Briefly Defaced, Promoted Crypto Scam

One of Donald Trump’s campaign websites was briefly made to look like it had been seized by law enforcement.

Trump Website Briefly Defaced, Promoted Crypto Scam
U.S. President Donald Trump speaks to members of the media on the South Lawn of the White House. (Photographer: Jim Lo Scalzo/EPA/Bloomberg)

One of Donald Trump’s campaign websites, donaldjtrump.com, was briefly made to look like it had been seized by law enforcement Tuesday, an effort that appeared to be part of a cryptocurrency scam.

The takeover, termed a defacement by cybersecurity experts, lasted for less than an hour. During that time, the web page was made to look like it had been take over by the government and included images of Federal Bureau of Investigation and Justice Department seals. It also included a message urging people to send digital currency to an account, a technique used by criminals.

It is unknown who caused the defacement, or if the Trump website was hacked. A website defacement doesn’t necessarily mean information from the site was taken. TechCrunch previously reported the incident.

A Trump campaign spokesman said that no sensitive data was at risk.

“Earlier this evening, the Trump campaign website was defaced and we are working with law enforcement authorities to investigate the source of the attack,” spokesman Tim Murtaugh said. “There was no exposure to sensitive data because none of it is actually stored on the site. The website has been restored.”

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