X Corp sues UK crypto influencers over alleged $277,000 creator payout fraud

Social media platform X has taken legal action against two UK‑based cryptocurrency influencers, alleging they fraudulently extracted more than $277,000 from X’s creator revenue‑sharing program.

Background and legal filing

On September 17, X Corp. and its European subsidiary, X Internet Unlimited Company, filed a civil complaint in the High Court of England and Wales. The complaint accuses Vivek Kumar Sen and Zamyang Sherpa, both residents of Preston, Lancashire, of operating a coordinated network of bitcoin‑focused accounts that manipulated engagement metrics to trigger payouts.

Alleged scheme

The filing claims the defendants ran at least six monetised accounts that posted near‑identical content within seconds of each other, used coordinated replies and likes, and shared payment details, device tokens and IP addresses. According to X, the network generated payouts totaling at least $277,568.

Platform policy changes

The lawsuit follows X’s recent suspension of the accounts on August 18 and the platform’s shift from an engagement‑sharing model to an “Original Content” system. Under the new 2026 guidelines, only original posts, firsthand reporting, expert commentary or self‑produced media are eligible for monetisation, and content flagged by Community Notes as false or misleading loses eligibility.

Legal claims and damages sought

X is pursuing claims of deceit, unlawful‑means conspiracy, breach of contract and unjust enrichment. The company seeks full restitution of the alleged payouts, at least $100,000 in investigation and remediation costs, plus legal expenses and interest.