Has the City of Tacoma been hacked by a crypto scammer? Odd post raises questions

No, the City of Tacoma isn’t promoting cryptocurrency — but a suspicious-looking post on X (formerly Twitter) appeared to give that impression Sunday.

The post appeared at 11:05 a.m., announcing the city’s apparent support for “The U.S. Crypto Reserve,” and invoking President Donald Trump. As of 1:20 p.m., the post was still active. By 2 p.m., it had disappeared.

“This can’t be real,” one reply to the post said.

“Tacoma never ceases to amaze me,” said another.

Was the city’s account hacked? Spokesperson Maria Lee had no immediate answer when asked by The News Tribune, and said she would consult the city’s Digital Manager.

At about 3:20 p.m., a short statement on the city’s Facebook page said the X account had been compromised:

“Unfortunately our official City of Tacoma X account has been hacked. In the meantime, we will be posting city information here on our Facebook account while this is being resolved.”

A subsequent statement sent by Lee provided additional information:

“The City of Tacoma has confirmed that its official X (formerly Twitter) account, @cityoftacoma, has been compromised. The City of Tacoma will be working with X to resolve the issue. For official City of Tacoma information, please refer to cityoftacoma.org or @cityoftacoma on Facebook, Instagram or YouTube. “

None of the city’s other social media accounts appeared to have been affected as of Sunday afternoon. On Facebook and Instagram, recent posts reflected typical offerings, such as the upcoming City of Destiny Awards. No additional crypto-centric posts appeared on X after the first one.

This is a developing story. Check back for updates.

This story was originally published March 2, 2025 at 1:49 PM.