The TikTok account of one of the app's biggest stars, Dixie D'Amelio, appeared to be hacked on Sunday by a group known for hacking Twitter accounts of social-media influencers as well as the company's CEO.
The hacker (or hackers) had posted several videos to D'Amelio's account between Sunday and Monday morning, when the account was taken down, according to Dexerto.
As of Monday afternoon, the account was reinstated, and the videos posted by the hacker have been deleted. D'Amelio's father, Marc D'Amelio, also appeared to be hacked on Sunday, but his account returned to normal on Monday. D'Amelio, 19, has 46.3 million followers on TikTok.
A TikTok spokesperson told Insider in a statement, "After the D'Amelios contacted us, we immediately locked their accounts to prevent any misuse, and we're working with them to better protect their accounts in the future."
One of the videos the hacker posted on Sunday evening referenced the "Chuckling Squad," the group of hackers that took over Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey's Twitter account in 2019. "Chucking Squad 'remain' logging in with SMS," the second post said, according to screen-recordings shared on YouTube.
Some of the clips also referenced an Instagram account with the handle "lucifer," Dexerto reported. In Instagram messages from the user, whom D'Amelio herself was following at press time, "lucifer" told Insider that the "Chuckling Squad" was responsible for the hack. The user said they were not affiliated with the group, but they were "friends of friends."
"...just know 'chuckling squad' is back," the user told Insider, and threatened that further hacks would come. "Will be a daily re occurrence [sic]."
The "Chuckling Squad" is known for using the SIM swapping technique in its hacks, wherein a mobile carrier is duped into changing the phone number associated with the victim's account into a number used by the hackers. The "SMS" reference in the video could indicate that the group used the same tactic to take over the D'Amelio accounts.
The group has previously been responsible for the hacks of multiple social-media influencers' Twitter accounts, including beauty YouTuber James Charles, Shane Dawson, Amanda Cerny, and King Bach.
While hacks of popular creators are relatively common — the account for Avani Gregg, a member of the Hype House TikTok collective, disappeared in April, though the cause was unclear — D'Amelio's might be the first account of a TikTok creator hacked by the "Chuckling Squad."
Representatives for TikTok and D'Amelio did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
This article has been updated with comments from TikTok and an Instagram user who claimed to have knowledge of the hack.
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