Dean Norris, widely recognized for his role as Hank Schrader in Breaking Bad, disclosed that his X (formerly Twitter) account has been compromised to promote a fraudulent meme coin named ‘DEAN.’ This incident involved the misuse of Norris’s image in a pump-and-dump operation.
In a video posted on January 26, 2025, Norris verified the hack, denouncing the DEAN token as a “complete, fake scam.” He expressed his frustration and criticized those who accused him of being part of the scheme, stating, “Go fuck yourselves.”
The hacked post, which has since been taken down, showcased an altered image of Norris displaying a paper that contained the memecoin’s name and launch date.
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Hackers Share Fake Video Of Dean Norris Endorsing Scam Token
Hackers also disseminated a manipulated video that suggested Norris supported this token, claiming, “Hey, it’s me, Dean, and on January 25th, I’m declaring it’s real.” Some users on Reddit theorized that this video might have been either an AI-generated deepfake or a rehashed clip from Cameo, a platform where fans can pay celebrities for personalized messages. Norris is known to use Cameo, raising concerns regarding how such videos may be misutilized.
The fraudulent token experienced a brief spike in market capitalization, reaching $8.43 million on January 25, only to decline drastically to below $60,000, representing a drop of over 96%.
Norris later mentioned that he rarely uses X and does not possess a Telegram account, stating, “I didn’t know I was hacked until friends started messaging me about it.”
One of the most believable hackings/scams I’ve seen on here. They had a follow-up tweet ready with a photoshopped notepad to “validate” it, had a cameo purchased of Dean Norris saying “Hey it’s me, Dean, it’s January 25th, I’m declaring, it’s real” link link. — Tyler (@CowboysIn4) January 26, 2025
This isn’t the first occurrence of Norris’s account being compromised. In November, on-chain investigator ZachXBT connected a similar hack to a group affiliated with a former Fortnite professional, which also targeted accounts of well-known personalities like Usher and McDonald’s.
The incident is part of a larger pattern of cryptocurrency-related scams, including a frenzy of memecoins that followed Donald Trump’s token launch on January 18, 2025, briefly achieving a market cap of $9 billion.
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Web3 Workers Targeted By Malware Campaign
Recently, Cado Security Labs alerted that Web3 professionals have become key targets in a sophisticated malware campaign. This campaign, which misuses counterfeit meeting applications, aims to steal sensitive credentials and cryptocurrency assets.
Cado’s threat research leader, Tara Gould, indicated that fraudsters are utilizing artificial intelligence (AI) to create convincing websites and social media profiles that imitate legitimate companies.
The harmful application, initially named “Meeten,” has undergone multiple rebranding efforts. It currently operates under the name “Meetio” and has previously used domains like Clusee.com, Cuesee, Meeten.gg, and Meetone.gg.
Once installed, the application deploys a Realst information stealer to extract confidential data, including logins for Telegram, banking details, and cryptocurrency wallet credentials.
Similar schemes have come to light recently. In August, ZackXBT identified 21 developers, presumably affiliated with North Korea, utilizing fake identities to infiltrate crypto projects. Moreover, in September, the FBI issued a warning about North Korean hackers aiming at crypto firms and decentralized finance (DeFi) projects with malware masquerading as job offers.
