Mbappé’s X account hacked, trader loses over $1m 

French football star Kylian Mbappé’s X account was compromised on August 28, when hackers used the platform to promote a Solana-based token called MBAPPE.

Shortly after the fake posts appeared on Mbappé’s account, the market value of the MBAPPE token saw a dramatic increase, briefly reaching $460 million, according to the DEX scanner.

However, this rise was short-lived, as the token’s value plummeted in a classic pump-and-dump scheme, leading to significant losses for many crypto investors. According to blockchain analytics firm Lookonchain, one investor lost more than $1 million after purchasing MBAPPE tokens worth 7,156 SOL, which quickly dropped to $9,200.

In contrast, another investor who invested just 2 Solana (SOL) made a profit of around $200,000 by selling at the token’s peak.

The incident also included a series of bizarre posts from Mbappé’s account, including fake transfer news and controversial comments about other football stars, which were later deleted along with the promotion of the fake token.

Other famous crypto attacks

In June, rapper 50 Cent’s X account and personal website were hacked in an attempt to promote a fake cryptocurrency called GUNIT, leading to a pump-and-dump scam.

While hackers reportedly used 50 Cent’s influence to steal $300 million in 30 minutes, transaction data suggests the volume was lower.

Also in June, Metallica’s X account was hacked to promote a Solana token called METAL, with scammers making false claims about partnerships with Ticketmaster and MoonPay. The token’s market cap briefly reached $3.37 million before falling to $34,000.

The incident, attributed to famous fraudster Sahil Arora, involved misleading posts about discounts and staking rewards.

Mbappé’s representatives have yet to comment on the breach and it remains unclear how the account was compromised.