Scammer Makes $135K After Hijacking SpaceX, Starlink Accounts to Shill Meme Coin
Hacker took over SpaceX and Starlink accounts to promote a fake crypto token.
1Account Takeover and Fake Token Promotion
A hacker hijacked the X (Twitter) accounts of SpaceX and Starlink to promote a fake meme coin. The accounts shared posts promoting a Robinhood-based token, which briefly reached a $2 million market cap before crashing to near zero.
2Hacker's Profit
The hacker created 10 trillion SCATMAN tokens and sold them all for 59 ETH (around $108,000). Another wallet linked to the attacker sold 59.28 million tokens for 14.7 ETH (approximately $27,000), bringing the total profit to $135,000.
3Token's Collapse
The SCATMAN token's market cap surged to $2 million before abruptly collapsing. This is a classic example of a 'rug pull,' where developers sell off the token and abandon the project.
4Regaining Account Control
SpaceX and Starlink deleted the fake posts and regained control of their accounts. However, the incident highlights ongoing concerns about social media account security.
5Rise in Crypto Scams
Recently, hijacking high-profile social media accounts to promote fake crypto tokens has become common. For example, Scroll co-founder Ye Chen's account was compromised in January 2026 to share phishing messages.
6Security Concerns in Crypto
This incident underscores the critical need for security in the crypto market. Investors should be cautious of fake promotions on social media and thoroughly research projects before investing.