Fake Harry Kim Twitter account shut down

HILO — A Twitter account impersonating Mayor Harry Kim was reported — and shut down — last month.

County IT Director Jules Ung said on Dec. 3 the county received a tip from a citizen that someone had “hacked” Kim’s Twitter account.

Instead, it turns out someone had created a spoof account made to look official at twitter.com/MayorHarryKim1. That link now leads to a message that reads “account suspended.”

Twitter.com/MayorHarryKim is Kim’s real Twitter account.

A Dec. 10 memo from the mayor authorized Ung to act on his behalf to report the account “and to take whatever action is necessary to have such account eliminated.”

Ung said the spoof account was reported to Twitter immediately and was shut down.

“We’re not aware of any false tweets that were sent out from the (fake account),” she said.

In recent history, Ung said this was the only time the county has had a hoax social media account created, “but it’s very common for people to impersonate government officials” and celebrities.

“Cyber crime will continue to be on the rise as criminals become more sophisticated and leverage email as well as social media,” Ung said. “The County of Hawaii has partnered with an industry leader in end-user awareness and training. Additionally, the county is working closely with Homeland Security to ensure the security of our systems and the awareness of our end-users.”

To learn more about cyber safety awareness, visit dod.hawaii.gov/ohs/cyber.

Email Stephanie Salmons at ssalmons@hawaiitribune-herald.com.