Rapper and songwriter Doja Cat’s X account was hacked on July 8, with the hackers using the opportunity to promote a scam token named after her likeness—Doja Cat (DOJA)—to her 5.6 million followers. In a now deleted post, the scammers wrote, “buy $DOJA or else,” followed by a Solana address, which the hackers used to collect funds from victims.
Within an hour since the post went live, DOJA’s market cap rose to $1.65 million as unsuspecting fans and those trying to profit from celebrity coins bought their share of the asset. Not long after, the coin dropped in value to $16,820, leaving investors in collective losses of about $1.63 million.
Doja Cat took to her Instagram, confirming her X account was hacked. “My Twitter’s been hacked these messages are not from me,” she wrote on a story.
The incident occurred as a string of celebrity accounts are getting hacked by cybercriminals to promote scam tokens. They get to make millions within hours as unsuspecting fans and crypto enthusiasts invest in the tokens in droves, just for the scammers to dump the project and make away with the funds. Investors are left with worthless tokens in the end.
Hulk Hogan’s X account was also hacked for similar purposes recently. The scam token promoted then was also Solana-based, which is a common trait with most of these tokens.
Doja Cat’s hackers did more damage than scamming her fans. They also took shots at rapper Iggy Azalea, using derogatory language in a deleted X post. While this stirred controversy in the hip-hop world, it subsided soon after everyone learned Doja Cat’s account was hacked.
The post could have been a way to further promote the token, as Azalea’s MOTHER token—a real project backed by Azalea with promises of bringing utility—made tremendous noise in June. Doja Cat’s hackers may have took shots at Azalea to stir up the pot and drive up hype in the small window they needed to scam investors.
