X takes Bitcoin influencers to court over income fraud

X Internet Unlimited Company and X Corp. have sued two people who were active as Bitcoin influencers on the platform. According to the lawsuit, filed with the British High Court, Vivek Kumar Sen and Zamyang Sherpa manipulated engagement metrics on X to improperly receive money via the Creator Revenue Sharing Program. The amount involved is at least £207.384.

In brief:

• X sues two influencers over coordinated manipulation of engagement metrics
• The alleged fraud earned them at least £207.384 through the Creator Revenue Sharing Program
• X suspends the accounts and demands the money back, plus damages and legal costs

Coordinated accounts and fake engagement

The case, filed on 17 September, alleges that the defendants used multiple X accounts in a coordinated manner. They allegedly posted identical or virtually identical messages and liked and reposted each other’s posts to artificially inflate engagement metrics.

They also allegedly circumvented the platform’s enforcement mechanisms in this way. The Creator Revenue Sharing Program pays out revenue to creators based on the reach and interaction their content generates, meaning manipulation of those figures has a direct impact on payouts.

Accounts suspended, X demands money back

X suspended the accounts concerned on 18 August. In the lawsuit, the company is demanding repayment of the improperly obtained revenue, along with damages, interest and legal costs.

X also estimates the costs of the investigation, analysis and remediation of the damage at at least £75.000. In addition to the two named defendants, the lawsuit also targets unknown individuals who managed or used the accounts listed in Appendix A of the case.