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Highlights:
- Dean Norris’s X account hacked to promote a fake memecoin.
- Hackers used Norris’s likeness and a doctored video to promote the scam.
- This marks the second time Norris’s account has been hijacked for cryptocurrency schemes.
Dean Norris, the actor best known for his portrayal of Hank Schrader in the TV series Breaking Bad, recently became the victim of a hacking incident that involved his X account being hijacked to promote a memecoin. The cryptocurrency in question, named DEAN, was part of a pump-and-dump scheme that saw its market cap reach over $8 million at its peak.
Hacked X Account Promotes Memecoin Scheme
On January 26, Norris took to X to inform his followers that his account had been compromised. In a video posted to his account, he confirmed that the memecoin, DEAN, was a complete scam. Norris expressed frustration over the situation, particularly with Reddit users who wrongly attributed the promotion of the coin to him. The hacker’s post promoting the fake token was removed, but several users had already taken screenshots of the original post. These included a manipulated image showing Norris holding a piece of paper with the ticker DEAN and its launch date.
Fake Video Adds Credibility to the Scam
The hackers went further by posting a doctored video that made it appear as though Norris was endorsing the coin. In the video, a voice that mimicked Norris said, “Hey, it’s me, Dean, and on January 25th, I’m declaring it’s real,” attempting to give the coin an air of legitimacy. Some Reddit users have speculated that the video might have been created using artificial intelligence, or it could have been a paid video taken out of context. Norris is active on Cameo, a platform where celebrities make customized videos for users.
A Repeat Incident of Account Hijacking
This is not the first time that Norris’s X account has been hijacked for cryptocurrency-related schemes. In November, onchain sleuth ZachXBT revealed that a project connected to a former professional Fortnite player was involved in multiple account takeovers, including those of McDonald’s, Usher, and Dean Norris. This incident follows a rise in the number of high-profile memecoin schemes, with the launch of a memecoin tied to President Donald Trump on January 18 creating a market frenzy, briefly pushing the token to a market capitalization of nearly $9 billion.
This case underscores the growing problem of hacking incidents involving social media platforms and cryptocurrency schemes, where public figures' accounts are compromised to add credibility to scam projects.
