Drake's X Account Used in $ANITA Meme Coin Scam: $4.9M in Fake Hype

Aubrey Drake Graham, the Canadian rapper, singer, and songwriter widely known as Drake, encountered a breach of his X account over the weekend.

Hip-hop icon Drake’s X account was subject to a cyber intrusion on Saturday, with the hacker using the platform to promote a Solana-based meme coin called “$ANITA.” The scam resulted in $4.9 million being generated from the fake hype.

Drake’s X Account Used in $ANITA Meme Coin Scam: $4.9M in Fake Hype

Canadian rapper, singer, and songwriter Aubrey Drake Graham, who goes by the stage name Drake, had his X account breached over the weekend. The attacker used the opportunity to promote the new meme coin to Drake’s 39 million followers on the platform.

Named $ANITA, the coin takes inspiration from Drake’s Anita Max Wynn Tour, tying its name to Drake’s recent ventures. A message was posted on the rapper’s X account from the Anita X account, which stated that the coin was created by “Drake and Stake.” Keep in mind that Stake is the cryptocurrency betting platform that Drake partnered with back in 2022.

Initially, the coin saw a quick spike in value before crashing just as fast, once people realized neither Drake nor Stake were actually connected to the $ANITA token.

Despite the fallout, the token still managed to generate $4.9 million in trading volume and over 7,000 buy orders. By Sunday, Dec. 15, 2024, $ANITA’s market cap had dropped to a paltry $12,000. The posts on Drake’s X account were taken down after onchain detectives like Zachxbt and others revealed the posts were likely fraudulent, calling out $ANITA as a scam.

Drake’s situation isn’t unique — his is just the latest in a string of celebrity hacks this year, where compromised X accounts are used to hype up newly launched meme coins.

Famous X accounts belonging to Hulk Hogan, 50 Cent, Doja Cat, and Caitlyn Jenner have also been breached to promote questionable meme coins. These incidents, including Drake’s hack, reflect an ongoing pattern where hackers hijack celebrity accounts to lend credibility to shady schemes, often causing temporary price spikes for the coins they push.