Tanmay Bhat’s X account hacked, comedian says ‘Don’t click on any links’

Comedian Tanmay Bhat’s X account was compromised last night by unknown hackers. He took to Instagram warning his followers not to click on any links after the hackers announced a fake memecoin on his X account.

A post was shared on Tanmay Bhat’s hacked X account around 8.20 pm last night which read: “I love memes and Solana so I figured it was time for me to drop my own coin. Dev supply will be locked momentarily, I will be using YouTube revenue from streams and videos to support the coin and implementing it into my content.”

Shortly after this post was shared on X, Tanmay Bhat took to Instagram warning people not to click on any links shared on X.

“My Twitter has been hacked. Please don’t click on any links. Working to fix it,” he wrote.

The X post on the crypto scam has since been deleted.

Crypto scams

Several high-profile celebrities have had their social media accounts compromised by crypto hackers aiming to promote fraudulent schemes over the last few years.

In July 2020, Twitter accounts of prominent figures such as Barack Obama, Joe Biden, Elon Musk, Bill Gates, Kanye West, and Kim Kardashian were hijacked to post messages promoting a Bitcoin scam, promising to double the money sent by followers.

Kylian Mbappe’s Twitter account was hacked in August 2024, with perpetrators posting false claims about cryptocurrency sales and potential transfers to other football clubs.

Sydney Sweeney and Doja Cat are other celebrities whose social media accounts have been hacked to promote crypto scams.

In memecoin scams, like the one which Bhat faced, scammers launch new, often humorously themed cryptocurrencies ("meme coins") and use celebrity images or endorsements to generate hype. Initial buzz drives up the coin's value, after which the scammers sell off their holdings ("pump and dump"), causing the coin's value to plummet and leaving investors with significant losses.