Fake Twitter user posing as hostage return forum requesting Bitcoin from followers

An X (formerly Twitter) user with a photograph of Naama Levy, one of the people held hostage by the terrorist organization Hamas in the Gaza Strip, is messaging people and requesting money.

The user @Bring_Naamelevy, with the username bring.naama-levy.home, has been messaging its followers requesting that money be transferred via Bitcoin or Tether, both cryptocurrencies.

The user initially asks the person if they are "always with" them, thanking them for their "support."

NYC and around the world- thank you for your relentless support of our hostages and their families @VivaceMaxvictor pictured below- check her out on instagram pic.twitter.com/HdVoITFs3l pic.twitter.com/g2fjWvApEq

— bring.naama-levy.home (@Bring_Naamelevy) January 27, 2024

After receiving a response, they reply, "You can support our movement with any Token that your spirit lifts you with," followed by a list of crypto wallets to transfer to.

While the USDT wallet could not be found in any recognized trackers, the Bitcoin account appeared on Blockchain to have never been used and to have never received funds.

The user of the account claims to be using it to "support bringing Naama Levy home" and said it is "also used for some water and food for honorable people who come out to make our voice heard all over the world."

While all recent posts express support for Naama Levy, any post dating back further than January 21 shows an entirely different person: A Ukrainian woman posting regularly about the war, saying that she is constantly looked at "like a Marvel character."

She posted selfies of herself, thanking people for supporting her plight in Ukraine and saying, "It’s an honor to be able to call you my readers."

Cynical use of hostage's face by fraudulent X account

However, upon a quick Google Lens search, it appeared that the photos were taken from the profile of Ukrainian journalist Margo Gontar.

A week before that, the account had been sharing news and memes from India.

The Hostage and Missing Families Forum has confirmed that they have no affiliation with the account and that they are pursuing legal action against the user.

Naama Levy was a young woman who was in Nahal Oz when terrorists broke into the kibbutz. She was last heard from that Saturday morning. Hours later, a video surfaced which later went viral of Naama handcuffed and bloody, being paraded through Gaza by Hamas terrorists.

Since then, she has been the face of the effort towards a ceasefire and hostage deal.