As the November election approaches, a number of Roblox accounts have been hacked to share pro-Trump propaganda, the BBC has reported. The online game also functions as a social platform, with Roblox reporting that half of all American children between the ages of nine and 12 used its platform.
Posts from Roblox players on social media show a number of accounts where avatars have been changed to wear a shirt with an American flag and eagle, along with a red cap with white lettering that resembles Trump’s signature Make America Great Again, or MAGA hat. Each of the hacked accounts also now displays a profile message saying “Ask your parents to vote for Trump this year! #MAGA2020”.
BUGISBGSUGB A TRUMP SUPPORTER HACKED MY ROBLOX ACCOUNT IM DEADDDDD OMGGGGGG AND MESSAGEDF MY FRIENDS TO VOTE FOR HIM WHA THT UFSIGFBUGAGABIAG pic.twitter.com/5X3IKTRtOV
— ariel (@mmilkdud) June 26, 2020
Users have also reported receiving messages from hacked friends with the same “ask your parents” call to action that was posted on their profiles. One Twitter user claimed that the hacker accepted all their outstanding friend requests in order to send the message to more people.
As Roblox profiles are indexed by Google, a search shows that over 1700 profiles currently display the exact same “Ask your parents to vote for Trump this year!” message.
A hacker recently proved how easy it could be to gain access to strangers’ Roblox accounts, after bribing a company insider for admin access and reporting the exploit to the company.
Roblox has yet to officially comment on the Trump-inspired hacks.
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