Cross-border socialite Zari Hassan’s Instagram account (username: zarithebosslady) has been hacked.
The socialite no longer has access to her account which had garnered 4.2M followers, and recently got verified with a blue badge.
The hacker has now asked Zari for a ransom of bitcoins worth $4000 (about Shs 14,800,000).
Bitcoin is a cryptocurrency, a new form of electronic cash created in 2009 by an unknown person using the alias Satoshi Nakamoto. It is a decentralized digital currency without a central bank or single administrator, though some researchers point at a trend towards centralization.
According to some sources, bitcoin is increasingly being used for money laundering and extorsion as many individuals feel more comfortable holding a part of their wealth in securely-stored bitcoin, where a central authority cannot block access or take a cut.
Zari joins the list of celebrities including musician Jose Chameleone and comedian Anne Kansiime among others that have lost their Instagram Accounts to hackers.
Well as Chameleone was able to reposes his after paying a ransom, Anne Kansiime lost all her followers and will most likely never have them back.
