In a recent attack that exploits the sheer negligence with which social media handles are monitored, Breaking Bad’s Hank Schrader, Dean Norris, has become yet another target in a series of celebrity accounts getting hacked for the promotion of scam coins.
What Happened Next?
Surprisingly, on Dean Norris’s birthday, January 26, 2025, his followers noticed a post from his verified X (Twitter) account announcing a cryptocurrency titled “DEAN” along with its symbol and contract address. The post exhibited an image of Dean cementing the authenticity of the launch by showing a notepad with the coin’s symbol and the date.
The promotion gained a lot of attention, and within a few short hours, the coins were sitting at a market cap of 8 million dollars. All this is accompanied by a huge surge in transactions from within the platform. All the hype.
Exactly What I Was Expecting
In his post, Norris explained that he was defrauded of his account as he reiterated his disinterest towards “$DEAN” crypto. He purported the coin to be a ‘complete fake scam’.
Regardless of his sentiment towards crypto on his page, it did not seem to matter as it’s worth collapsed by 90% immediately post his announcement, raking in huge losses towards disgruntled hopeful investors.
More Often Than Not
This wasn’t the first time someone had taken Norris’s account and misused it for their agenda. Back in September 2024, a different crook hacked into him in hopes of advertising some baseless cryptocurrency called $SHRADER.
Having reputations such as Neymar Jr and Oliver Stone, along with the well-respected brand Lenovo, compromised only to fall into notorious dubious crypto promotion proves once and for all how shamelessly rife account phishing on the internet creeps have gotten.
The Mechanics of the Scam
Truly unique, these scams tend to follow a ‘pump and dump’ approach:
Account Compromise: A prominent person loses access to their social media account for some time.
Promotion: They announce a round of new currency likely bought by credit-based cards to meet needs.
Exit: Con artists offload their assets at the highest point, triggering a crash in the coin’s value and leaving investors with nothing but worthless tokens.
The Broader Implications
The rise of new fraudulent activities emphasises the necessity of more advanced cybersecurity services, particularly for public personas. This also functions as a warning for the investors to remain cautious and do thorough background checks, even if the endorsement seems to come from a credible figure.
With the ongoing changes in the world of cryptocurrency, the community as a whole needs to improve its security and educational facilities to prevent such deceitful crimes.
FAQs
Dean Norris’s verified X (formerly Twitter) account was hacked on January 26, 2025—his birthday. The attacker used it to promote a scam cryptocurrency called “$DEAN,” presenting it as an official launch, complete with visuals to fake authenticity.
No, $DEAN was a scam token promoted without Dean Norris’s consent. Once he regained control of his account and clarified he had no involvement, the coin’s value plummeted by 90%, confirming it was a pump-and-dump scheme.
Scammers typically follow a pattern:
Hack a celebrity’s account
Announce a fake token launch
Generate hype and inflate the token’s value
Sell off (dump) the tokens at the peak
Leave unsuspecting buyers with worthless coins
No, Dean Norris’s account was also hacked in September 2024 to promote another fake token called $SHRADER. This repeated targeting shows a disturbing trend of exploiting celebrity accounts for financial fraud.
Public figures should implement strong cybersecurity measures like multi-factor authentication and regular audits of their social media accounts. Investors, on the other hand, must verify the legitimacy of crypto projects and never rely solely on celebrity endorsements for investment decisions.
