Drake’s X Account Hijacked to Promote Fraudulent Memecoin ‘$ANITA’
Drake’s official X account was compromised on Saturday night, with hackers using the Canadian superstar’s platform to promote a fraudulent Solana-based memecoin named after his cartoon "alter ego."
The memecoin, called "$ANITA," capitalized on Drake’s cartoon character Anita Max Wynn, a playful homage to his love of gambling. The name cleverly echoes the gambling phrase "I need a max win." Fraudulent posts claimed the token was launched in collaboration with Stake, Drake’s preferred crypto betting platform, and even tied the coin to his upcoming "Anita Max Wynn Tour," scheduled to take him back to Australia and New Zealand for the first time in seven years.
Shared with Drake’s 39 million followers, the scam generated a trading volume of $5 million before traders uncovered its illegitimacy and ceased transactions. Shortly after, the posts disappeared from Drake’s account.
Drake joins a growing list of high-profile X accounts targeted by hackers. Just last week, the Cardano Foundation’s X account fell victim to a similar memecoin scam, though it garnered only a fraction of $ANITA’s trading activity. Other musicians such as Cardi B, Doja Cat, and Metallica have also been recent targets of similar attacks, highlighting an alarming trend of exploiting celebrity accounts to push cryptocurrency scams.
This incident underscores the importance of heightened security measures on social platforms, especially for high-profile users whose accounts are often exploited to prey on unsuspecting fans and traders.