X Sues Two Bitcoin Influencers in UK Court Over Alleged Creator Fund Engagement Fraud
X sued Vivek Kumar Sen and Zamyang Sherpa in London's High Court, alleging they used fake bitcoin accounts to fraudulently collect creator payouts.
Why it matters
The lawsuit is a routine civil fraud case over a discontinued payout program rather than a matter with direct market or regulatory consequences for bitcoin or crypto assets.
Where the sources disagree
Total amount allegedly obtained/at stake
$277,000
Bitcoin.com News
$278,000
Cointelegraph, Decrypt
$378,000 total claimed and projected losses
Cointelegraph
$277,000 (207,000 pounds)
CoinDesk
Sources report different dollar figures for the fraud beyond the agreed £207,384 base figure
Number of accounts in the alleged network
nine accounts
CoinDesk
six enrolled accounts plus at least three booster accounts
Cointelegraph, Decrypt
CoinDesk names nine accounts in the scheme while Cointelegraph and Decrypt describe six enrolled accounts plus additional booster accounts
When X shut down the Creator Revenue Sharing program
shut down September 7, 2026
Decrypt
program retired/shifted, no specific date given
CoinGape, Bitcoin.com News
Decrypt states the program shut down for good on September 7, while other outlets describe the shift to Original Content Rewards without giving that specific date
Figures that do not reconcile
Found by comparing the numbers in the reports automatically. They are differences, not yet confirmed to be about the same thing.
reported results (creator revenue sharing)
£207,384
CoinGape
$278,000
Decrypt
CoinGape reports £207,384, Decrypt reports $278,000 (25% apart).
Key facts
X sued Vivek Kumar Sen, Zamyang Sherpa and unidentified others in the UK High Court on September 17
Reported by CoinGape
X alleges the defendants fraudulently obtained at least £207,384 from the Creator Revenue Sharing program
207,384 GBPDisputed figureReported by CoinGape
Outlets report differing dollar equivalents and loss totals for the alleged fraud, ranging from $277,000 to $378,000
Disputed figureReported by Cointelegraph
X suspended the accused accounts on August 18
Reported by Cointelegraph
Sources disagree on the number of accounts involved in the alleged scheme, with figures of six or nine accounts reported
Disputed figureReported by Cointelegraph
X ended the Creator Revenue Sharing program and replaced it with an Original Content Rewards system
Reported by CoinGape
CoinGape reported X estimated investigation, analysis and remediation costs at at least £75,000
75,000 GBPReported by CoinGape
James Burnham, general counsel at X, said the company does not tolerate fraudulent behavior on the platform
Reported by CoinGape
What happened
X Corp and its European subsidiary filed a lawsuit on September 17 in the High Court of England and Wales against Vivek Kumar Sen, Zamyang Sherpa, and unnamed others, accusing them of running coordinated networks of bitcoin-focused accounts that posted identical or near-identical content and used mutual likes and reposts to fake engagement and unlock Creator Revenue Sharing payouts. Sources agree the accused fraudulently obtained at least £207,384, though outlets differ on the dollar conversion, citing $277,000, $278,000, or $378,000 in claimed and projected losses. Reports also differ on how many accounts were involved, with CoinDesk citing nine accounts and Cointelegraph and Decrypt citing six enrolled accounts plus additional booster accounts. X suspended the accounts on August 18 and, according to Decrypt, shut down the Creator Revenue Sharing program entirely on September 7, replacing it with an Original Content Rewards system that excludes artificially generated engagement. X general counsel James Burnham said the company does not tolerate fraudulent behavior on the platform and will act to protect genuine creators' earnings. It remains unclear what damages beyond the disputed payouts X will ultimately recover, with CoinGape citing estimated investigation and remediation costs of at least £75,000.
How the story developed
- Update
X ends Creator Revenue Sharing program
X shut down the Creator Revenue Sharing program and moved to Original Content Rewards
- Update
X files lawsuit in UK High Court
X Corp and its European subsidiary filed a civil complaint against Vivek Kumar Sen, Zamyang Sherpa and others
- First report
First report by CoinGape
Elon Musk’s X Sues Bitcoin Influencers for Creator Revenue Fraud
- Independent corroboration
Independently corroborated by Cointelegraph
X sues Bitcoin account operators over alleged $278K payout fraud
- Update
X suspends accused accounts
X suspended the accounts linked to the alleged scheme over creator revenue-sharing fraud and platform manipulation
- Official statement
Official statement from Bitcoin.com News
X Files Lawsuit Targeting UK Crypto Influencers
- Official statement
X general counsel confirms lawsuit publicly
James Burnham posted confirming the lawsuit and describing the alleged coordinated network scheme
How coverage built up
Independent sources over time, counted the way the consensus panel counts them: a republication of a wire story does not move the line.
- 21 Sept 2026, 07:31 UTC: CoinGape — 1 independent source, 1 reports
- 21 Sept 2026, 09:35 UTC: Cointelegraph — 2 independent sources, 2 reports
- 21 Sept 2026, 10:15 UTC: CoinDesk — 3 independent sources, 3 reports
- 21 Sept 2026, 16:20 UTC: Bitcoin.com News, official — 4 independent sources, 4 reports
- 21 Sept 2026, 20:16 UTC: Decrypt — 5 independent sources, 5 reports
Affected entities
Also mentioned: XRP, Goldman Sachs, Kraken, Arbitrum, Cardano, Dogecoin, Tesla
Original sources
| Publisher | Report | Role | Published |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bitcoin.com News Company, official | X Files Lawsuit Targeting UK Crypto Influencers | Independent | |
| CoinGape Crypto media | Elon Musk’s X Sues Bitcoin Influencers for Creator Revenue Fraud | Original | |
| CoinDesk Crypto media | X sues its own users for running a fake bitcoin news bot farm | Independent | |
| Cointelegraph Crypto media | X sues Bitcoin account operators over alleged $278K payout fraud | Independent | |
| Decrypt Crypto media | X Sues Two Bitcoin Influencers Over Bot Army That Milked Creator Payouts | Independent |
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