Actor Hacked: Breaking Bad's Norris Used to Promote $8m Crypto Scam

Breaking Bad’s Dean Norris’ X Account Hacked to Promote $8m Crypto Scam

American actor Dean Norris, best known for his role as Hank Schrader in the hit TV series Breaking Bad, recently fell victim to a hacking incident. Scammers gained access to Norris' X (formerly Twitter) account and used it to promote a fraudulent meme coin named after him, DEAN.

Norris swiftly denounced the project, declaring that DEAN is a scam. In a video posted on X, he clarified that he had been hacked and that the situation was all a scam. He expressed frustration over the accusations directed at him on Reddit and noted that he rarely uses the platform.

The incident began when Norris' account posted a message announcing the launch of a new cryptocurrency, DEAN, along with the contract address. In addition, the hackers shared a manipulated image of Norris holding a notepad with the coin’s symbol and a date written on it. They also posted a fake video in which Norris appeared to confirm the coin’s legitimacy.

At the time of reporting, several DEAN meme coins—some only a day or two old—remained available for trading in the market. Norris joins a long list of people who have fallen victim to crypto scams. Hackers recently targeted Brazil’s former President Jair Bolsonaro’s account to promote the BRAZIL meme coin. Furthermore, after the launch of the TRUMP meme coin, scammers exploited $857.5 million in a single week.

Crypto scams have been on the rise, contributing an estimated $834.5 million in 2024 alone. Despite this, Ki Young Ju, CEO of CryptoQuant, defied the idea of meme coins being a scam. He compared the valuation of meme coins to that of the art market, where value is built through narrative.

“If the very foundation of the meme coin market is considered a scam, then, by the same logic, the art market must also be viewed as a scam,” Yu posted on X. While the hype around meme coins may fade, Ju believes the market will evolve into a more mature form by 2030.