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Doha – The Office of the Head of Government warned Wednesday about a fraudulent account on X (formerly Twitter) that has been impersonating Prime Minister Aziz Akhannouch to promote a fictitious Moroccan cryptocurrency.
The fake account has been advertising non-existent digital currency and transactions, prompting officials to issue an alert to protect citizens from potential scams.
“The only official account reporting the activities of the Head of Government and the institution of the Head of Government on platform X is: @ChefGov_ma,” the office stated in an official release.
The incident comes just one day after Bank Al-Maghrib (BAM), Morocco’s central bank, reported a similar fraud case.
According to BAM, scammers created fake media content that “fraudulently uses Bank Al-Maghrib’s identity and the image of its Governor, apparently using artificial intelligence mechanisms.”
The fraudulent content promoted a false investment platform with promises of guaranteed returns.
Both the Head of Government’s office and Bank Al-Maghrib have taken swift action to alert the public and maintain the integrity of their official communications channels.
In response to these digital impersonation attempts, Akhannouch’s office has urged “all citizens and social media users to exercise increased vigilance against fake accounts and to rely solely on information from official sources.”
For the central bank’s part, it has stated it reserves the right to take any necessary legal action to protect its image and rights in response to the fraudulent use of its identity.
The dual incidents show a growing trend of sophisticated digital fraud attempts targeting Moroccan government institutions and officials.
Cryptocurrency in Morocco
The evolution of cryptocurrency in Morocco has seen significant milestones over recent years. In 2017, the government took a firm stance by implementing a complete ban on cryptocurrency transactions, citing concerns over money laundering and criminal activities.
By 2019, despite the prohibition, an estimated 3.5 million Moroccans had already invested in various digital currencies, marking the beginning of a dramatic surge in crypto adoption.
The landscape continued to evolve through 2023, when Morocco secured its position as the 13th highest Bitcoin-using nation globally, according to Insider Monkey’s analysis.
Meanwhile, Chainalysis ranked Morocco 20th in its global crypto index, quietly cementing the country’s foothold in the digital currency landscape, despite regulatory headwinds.
By 2024, the number of Moroccan cryptocurrency holders had reached 6 million, representing approximately 16% of the population according to HelloSafe data, with Bank Al-Maghrib Governor Abdellatif Jouahri announcing plans for a comprehensive regulatory framework by year’s end.
