Skip Bayless' X Account Hijacked in Crypto Scam: SKIP Token Scheme Exposed

The sports commentary world collided with the cryptocurrency underworld this month when prominent TV personality Skip Bayless fell victim to a coordinated account takeover designed to push a Solana-based digital asset. After gaining unauthorized access to the former ESPN broadcaster’s X profile, attackers weaponized his platform to launch a token promotion campaign intertwined with political messaging, targeting his 3.2 million followers with promotional content for SKIP token.

How the Attack Unfolded

Once inside Skip Bayless’ X account, the bad actors immediately began posting content endorsing Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump while simultaneously pitching the SKIP token with slogans like “Let’s make crypto great again.” The attack followed a familiar playbook: establish credibility through a trusted personality’s account, then use that authority to drive token adoption.

The scammers’ technical execution was straightforward but effective. They posted an image of Skip Bayless standing beside the Solana logo alongside the token’s contract address, triggering immediate interest from retail traders. However, the offensive didn’t stop at promotional content. Additional posts from the compromised account lobbed derogatory remarks at Vice President Kamala Harris and basketball icon LeBron James, indicating the attackers had multiple agenda items beyond pure profit motive.

According to DEX Screener data, token dumping commenced almost immediately after the promotional posts went live. The hackers’ window of opportunity was narrow but lucrative in their view—they managed to pocket approximately $8,200 from the scheme. The SKIP token itself achieved a peak valuation exceeding $69,000, even securing a listing on the Solana-native Raydium decentralized exchange. However, by the time this story went to press, the token had plummeted over 94% to just $4,100, a stark reminder of how quickly these schemes collapse once the hype subsides.

At the time of writing, malicious posts remained visible on Skip Bayless’ X timeline, demonstrating how slowly social media platforms can respond to compromised accounts in the cryptocurrency space.

Pattern of Celebrity Account Hijackings: A Growing Threat

Skip Bayless represents just the latest high-profile casualty in what has become an epidemic of celebrity account compromises targeting the crypto industry. The pattern reveals both the attractiveness of blue-check accounts to scammers and the sophistication of their execution.

In November, rapper Wiz Khalifa’s X account fell prey to similar attackers promoting the WIZ token. The scheme proved devastatingly effective—the token surged over 2,000% within minutes of launch before inevitably collapsing. Just months earlier in June, the 50 Cent incident shocked the industry when his compromised account promoted the GUNIT token, allowing attackers to extract over $300 million in a mere 30-minute window. During that same June period, legendary rock band Metallica also became targets, with hijackers falsely claiming partnerships with payment service MoonPay while hawking the unaffiliated METAL token.

These incidents paint a troubling picture: verified social media accounts attached to recognizable names provide the perfect vehicle for rapid wealth extraction through token schemes. The victims’ enormous follower counts create immediate liquidity and marketing reach that would cost hundreds of thousands of dollars to purchase through traditional advertising channels.

The Broader Security Crisis

The Skip Bayless X compromise underscores a systemic vulnerability affecting both social media platforms and individual users. While celebrities and public figures face heightened risk due to their visibility, the fundamental weakness remains consistent: account security protocols insufficient to withstand sophisticated attackers. As cryptocurrency adoption accelerates, bad actors will continue targeting high-value social media accounts, knowing that minutes of access to a verified account can translate to millions in illicit profits. The question now becomes whether platforms like X can implement meaningful security improvements before the next major celebrity account hijacking occurs.