- Crypto scammers falsely reported the death of Jonathan, a 194-year-old tortoise, in a bid to pump a themed memecoin.
- Major outlets including the BBC, USA Today, and Daily Mail published the hoax based on a fake X account impersonating the tortoise’s veterinarian.
- The unaffiliated token’s market cap surged 376% to approximately $119,000 before partially collapsing after the scam was exposed.
- The real veterinarian confirmed the account was a con soliciting crypto donations, stating the famous tortoise is alive and well.
- The incident coincided with a chaotic April Fools’ Day in crypto, featuring other misleading jokes and a separate, real $280 million hack.
Crypto scammers orchestrated a morbid April Fools’ Day hoax by falsely announcing the death of Jonathan, the world’s oldest tortoise, to pump an unrelated memecoin. Major news outlets such as the BBC, USA Today, and Daily Mail published the fabricated story based on claims from a fraudulent X account.
The account, impersonating veterinarian Joe Hollins, posted “Heartbroken to share that our beloved Jonathan, the world’s oldest living land animal, has passed away today peacefully on St. Helena.” Consequently, the market cap of a Jonathan-themed token shot up 376% to around $119,000. However, the real Joe Hollins confirmed to USA Today that he has no X account and that “Jonathan the tortoise is very much alive.”
He clarified the posts were not a joke but a con soliciting crypto donations. Meanwhile, St. Helena Governor Nigel Phillips told The Guardian he found Jonathan sleeping peacefully after the false reports surfaced. The scam account, based in Brazil, later claimed it was an April Fools’ prank despite earlier denials.
The token’s value subsequently crashed to $34,000 before recovering to $74,000. Meanwhile, April Fools’ Day saw other crypto mishaps, including a fake acquisition and a protocol called Hyperbridge falsely claiming it was breached. Separately, the Drift protocol experienced a real hack resulting in approximately $280 million in losses.
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