X Blows The Lid Off Bribe Scandal In Crypto Account Restorations

The Elon Musk-owned X social media platform has gone public with claims that a bribery network tried to pay its staff to bring back suspended crypto accounts. According to the company, middlemen acted on behalf of banned users, offering money to insiders in hopes of overturning account suspensions tied to scams and market abuse.

Based on the company posts and follow-up reporting, the scheme did not involve direct contact between banned users and staff. Instead, intermediaries were paid to make offers and set up meetings with employees.

Reports have disclosed that the operation targeted accounts tied to crypto fraud and coordinated manipulation. Some outlets say the network is linked to a wider cybercriminal group known in reporting as “The Com.”

X has exposed and is taking strong action against a bribery network targeting our platform. Suspended accounts involved in crypto scams and platform manipulation paid middlemen to attempt to bribe employees to reinstate their suspended accounts. These perpetrators exploit social…

— Global Government Affairs (@GlobalAffairs) September 19, 2025

Law enforcement and platform teams are now looking into how broad the effort went. X’s Global Government Affairs team said it had identified multiple attempts, but did not list names or say how many staff were approached or whether any account was actually restored because of payments.

Reports also connect the scheme to other online spaces; investigators say similar tactics have been used against other social services and gaming communities.

Based on reports, X has opened legal proceedings against people tied to the network and is working with outside authorities to share evidence.

The GGA also says it will step up internal checks and audits to reduce the chance of employee collusion. At this stage, public filings or indictments have not been posted; the investigations are ongoing.

The platform has said it suspended hundreds of millions of abusive accounts in recent months — a figure some posts put at 335 million — as it moved to curb scams and bad actors on the site.

Broader industry reports also note large losses from crypto phishing and fraud in recent periods, though those totals come from different compilations and are not tied directly to the bribery ring described by X.

For everyday users, the key risk is that banned accounts tied to scams could be brought back if internal controls fail.

Reinstated scam accounts can spread phishing links, false giveaways, and other fraud quickly. Reports say X is trying to limit harm by pursuing wrongdoing in court and tightening how account actions are approved.

Featured image from Unsplash, chart from TradingView