merican Actress Sydney Sweeney, fell victim to cyber scammers who hacked her Twitter account to promote a meme-based cryptocurrency named "SWEENEY " on the Solana blockchain. The fraudulent tweets suggested that the actress would host an event discussing the token. Here's the Dexscreener link of $SWEENEY memecoin.
A Common Scheme Unfolds
An examination of the scammy tweets and the tokens contract revealed similarities with instances of celebrity crypto scams. Shortly after its launch, the SWEENEY token trading volume exceeded $10 million due, to the tweets. However, once the promotion ceased the token's value dropped by 90% as shown on Dexscreener indicating it was likely part of a pump-and-dump scheme orchestrated by fraudsters.
This is the second time this year that the actress has faced a situation where her account was hacked for fraudulent purposes. Sydney Sweeney's photo was used earlier in January to promote a fake Solana coin. The individual managing a Telegram group linked to the token claimed responsibility for not only hacking Sweeney’s account but also those of 50 Cent and Hulk Hogan for similar fraudulent schemes.
Celebrities Facing Higher Risks
As the popularity of cryptocurrency and meme coins continues to rise so does the vulnerability of social media accounts to being targeted. Celebrities such as Iggy Azalea, Floyd Mayweather and Caitlyn Jenner have had their names associated with tokens. While some collaborations involve the celebrity directly many others are scams that exploit their fame. With millions of followers, at stake, more efforts are needed to safeguard celebrities and their communities from these practices.
