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Hackers post swastikas on Mercedes-Benz Instagram account

Rebecca Staudenmaier
May 6, 2020

Carmaker Mercedes-Benz has said it is "sorry for any inconvenience and offense caused" after hackers posted Nazi imagery on its Instagram page. Other posts included images of vehicles made by competitor BMW.

https://p.dw.com/p/3bpli
Screens showing the hacked account
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/Revierfoto

The German-language Instagram account of carmaker Mercedes-Benz fell victim to hackers on Tuesday, the company confirmed.

Unidentified hackers took over the company's Instagram profile on Tuesday evening, Mercedes-Benz told news agency DPA.

Read more: Merkel, car industry heads hold coronavirus video conference

The company said it quickly responded to the hack and said further legal steps could be taken. Shortly after the incident, Mercedes-Benz took down its German-language Instagram account.

Screenshots of the company's hacked profile circulated online, including images of the Nazi Swastika flag. The hacked account also promoted cars from competitor BMW.

The hackers also posted several links in the account's description, calling on users to "donate to starving people.

Replying to confused Twitter users who shared the screenshots, Mercedes-Benz said it was "sorry for any inconvenience and offense caused.

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