Breaking Bad star Dean Norris who played Hank Schrader on the show has also been targeted by hackers. Fans were confused and frustrated by his X account (formerly Twitter) being hacked and then used to promote fake cryptocurrency.
Hackers posted on Dean’s account saying a memecoin called $DEAN was launched. Even they included a contract address to make it legit. To top it all off, they posted a fake picture of Dean holding up information about the coin and made many people believe the coin was real.
Shortly, the fake memecoin gained massive attention, and the hammer was already called. Following a deal to sell it, its market value soon topped $7 million but quickly crashed 90 percent after Dean Norris took control of his account and called it a scam. ‘He’s hacked me and sending money to the wrong address!’ Dean said in the video, apologizing to his fans before confirming his account had been hacked and to disregard any fake coin.
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Dean says he has not used X often and didn’t learn about the hack until friends started texting him. Even worse, the hackers seem to have paid Dean a Cameo for promoting the coin but without his knowledge. The hackers used Comeo, a platform in which fans pay celebrities to create custom videos, and made the scam that much more convincing.
— Dean Norris (@deanjnorris) January 26, 2025
It’s not the first time Dean’s account has been hacked. In September 2024, it was used to promote another fake cryptocurrency, $SHRADER. In the crypto world, such scams are sadly becoming a routine pleasantry. Celebrities are often targeted by hackers to make their scams seem legitimate so fans will be enticed into buying fake tokens.
The incident got mixed reactions from fans. The hackers faced some criticism and others joked that Dean’s reaction was reminiscent of his harder Breaking Bad character.
Most importantly though, this scam shows how difficult it is for crypto users to distinguish between real and fake endorsements. The list of people who have unknowingly been involved in the same scams, such as Lionel Messi or Caitlyn Jenner whose names were associated with the fake tokens, is long.
For the rest of us, the incident should be a reminder to double check before investing in cryptocurrencies, especially those linked to celebrity endorsements. Always verify the information before trusting such announcements.
Dean Norris’s experience demonstrates that a public figure isn’t even safe from Internet fraud.
Stay alert and don’t let hackers fool you!
Also read: Why Trump Pardoned Silk Road Founder Ross Ulbricht: What It Means
