Crypto analyst ZachXBT (@zachxbt) recently shared that several high-profile brand and celebrity accounts on X have been compromised and are promoting a fake meme coin. He noted that the meme coin scammers targeted large companies like Lenovo India, Yahoo News UK, and even the EU Commission Directorate-General for Regional & Urban Policy. Even the X accounts of Alexandre Lacazette, the French football player, and filmmaker Oliver Stone, were not spared, among many others.Β
Update: So far it seems like the scammers likely lost money purchasing this method as the top traders have barely made ~$1K and market cap is $67K.
— ZachXBT (@zachΡ bt) September 18, 2024
While few details are available I would expect these accounts all gave permissions to the same site/app.
Reminder to always go⦠pic.twitter.com/gZcynD9rrV
ZachXBT said that the compromised accounts were found posting about a meme coin, which appears to be fraudulent. Initial data suggests that the scammers have not profited significantly from this operation. Notably, top traders involved reportedly made only about $1,000, while the market cap of the scam coin is currently at $67,000, as per the analyst.Β
In a subsequent update, ZachXBT shared that the meme coin scammers removed liquidity from the meme coin, ultimately earning just $8,000 from their fraudulent activities.Β
Precautions vs Meme Coin Scammers: How to Revoke Access
To help mitigate risks, users were advised to regularly review their account settings on X and revoke access to any applications or services they no longer use. Users can follow these steps:
Related: Hong Kong Proposes Rules Allowing Insurers to Invest in Crypto
- Navigate to Settings.
- Select Security and account access.
- Click on Apps and Sessions or Connected apps.
- Periodically revoke access for inactive or unrecognized apps.
The Shib Daily reported recently that a cryptocurrency investor had fallen victim to a clever token scam. The ruse caused him a loss of around 896 billion $TitanX, valued at nearly $500,000.Β The attacker had mimicked the original transaction address to fool the victim. The entire process was completed within 12 hours.Β
Furthermore, a related coverage talked about a trader losing over $1 million within one hour after purchasing a scam token. The token was endorsed by French footballer Kylian MbappΓ©βs hacked account.Β
Another notable incident is that of the CEO of a famous U.S. bank. He found himself sentenced to more than 24 years in prison for allegedly stealing $47 million in a crypto scheme.Β He reportedly transferred the funds from his bank to different cryptocurrency wallΠ΅ts controlled by scammers, eventually falling for the infamous βpig butcheringβ scam which finally led to the collapse of the bank and the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) taking over.Β
Related: US Lawmakers Propose Tax Breaks for Small Stablecoin Payments and Staking
Some of the most common and prevalent scams in 2024 include Bitcoin Investment Schemes, phishing scams, and pump-and-dump schemes. Apart from this, rug pull scams, fake ICOs, AI scΠ°ms, and love-bait scams have gained notoriety.Β
