Robinhood CEO’s X Account Hacked, Launches VLAD Meme Coin Scam Targeting Retail Investors

Robinhood CEO Vlad Tenev’s X account was hacked by an unknown party on July 24, launching a meme coin called “VLAD.” Within 20 minutes, it attracted more than 175k views. Onchain data firm Onchain Lens was the first to spot the anomaly and disclose it; the Robinhood Chain block explorer later flagged the token’s contract address as a scam.

Onchain Lens First Disclosure and MLM On-Chain Data

According to Onchain Lens and MLM’s on-chain monitoring report, the key figures from this incident are as follows：

VLAD meme coin promotion time：20 minutes

X post views：more than 175k times

ETH stolen：about 650 ETH（MLM report）

Stolen amount：about $1.2 million to $1.3 million

Hacker VLAD build position cost：$126.81

VLAD purchased：47.2M tokens

Hacker unrealized profit：about $159k（community sleuth Jeff tracked）

Robinhood Official Statement and Token Address Security Flag

According to Robinhood’s official X account statement: “We are working with X to restore the account, and the posts have been removed.” The Robinhood Chain block explorer has also flagged the VLAD token contract address as a scam to warn users of the risks.

According to Nominis data, crypto industry theft tactics are shifting from force-attacking major exchange cold wallets to compromising high-attention X accounts via social engineering—lower costs and higher potential returns.

Robinhood’s Second Social Engineering Incident This Year

According to the original report, this is the second related incident for Robinhood this year: in early July, a livestream by Robinhood founder accidentally leaked a seed phrase, leading hackers to hype meme coins on BNB Chain, with trading volume briefly surging to $20 million. Both incidents involved malicious exploitation of personal accounts/livestream mistakes, indicating an increasing frequency of social engineering attacks targeting highly reputable crypto businesses.

FAQ

How much ETH was stolen after Robinhood CEO’s X account was hacked?

According to an MLM on-chain monitoring report, the hacker stole about 650 ETH (about $1.2 million to $1.3 million) through the VLAD meme coin scam; Wu Blockchain also shared this finding.

What did Robinhood’s official statement say about the hacked account in this incident?

According to Robinhood’s official X account statement: “We are working with X to restore the account, and the posts have been removed.” The Robinhood Chain block explorer has also flagged the VLAD token contract address as a scam.

How much did the hacker profit from the VLAD meme coin itself?

Based on on-chain data tracked by community sleuth Jeff, the hacker bought 47.2M VLAD tokens for $126.81; it is estimated that they currently hold about $159k in unrealized profit.