Twitter just cannot get cryptocurrency giveaway scams under control. Each new passing day major brands, celebrities, and cryptocurrency industry icons are being hacked, or impersonated by cyber criminals who launch crypto giveaway scams in an attempt to steal Bitcoin, Ethereum, and other assets from investors on the popular social media platform.

In this most recent instance, Mountain View, California-based search engine giant, Google, and national American retail chain Target both had their verified Twitter accounts hijacked, and used as part of ongoing cryptocurrency giveaway scams that are constantly plaguing Twitter.

Google’s office G Suite Twitter account was hacked this morning. The hackers posted an image with a QR code users could use to “sеnd frоm 0.1 to 2 BTC tо the address bеlow and gеt frоm 1 to 20 ВTC back!” Yesterday, it was retail powerhouse Target that was hacked in a similar manner, and was forced to issue a statement apologizing to its users.

These two instances are just a tiny sample of what has become a year-long losing battle between Twitter and cyber criminals. Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey said the company was “on it,” back in March, but clearly the trend is only continuing and even increasing. Twitter has even mistakenly approved these scams to run as paid promotional advertisements on the platform, which is against their own terms and conditions.

The ongoing scam is a huge embarrassment for Twitter’s security team and overall reputation, especially with brands. If big brands like Google or Target cannot feel safe in communicating with their customers via Twitter, these brands may abandon the platform entirely.

It’s not just brands, either. Celebrities like William Shatner and executives like Elon Musk are regularly targeted and impersonated. Cryptocurrency industry figures such as Ethereum creator Vitalik Buterin and Binance CEO Changpeng Zhao being forced to add notes to their usernames that state publicly that they aren’t associated with any cryptocurrency giveaways, in an attempt to keep investors safe.

However, the problem remains, and Twitter needs to step up their efforts to prevent criminals from further preying on their user base.