X Says 'Whoa There, New Crypto Friend'—First-Time Posters Get ID Checked Before Shilling

X (formerly Twitter) is rolling out automatic account locks for users who suddenly start posting about crypto for the first time. Yes, that friend who hasn't tweeted since 2019 and only replied with "lol" to your wedding photos? Turns out they have strong opinions about $PEPE and they're not afraid to share them—with everyone, including the NFT grindset accounts and the guy who DMs you "wen 100x" on every post.

The move aims to crack down on the platform's ongoing spam and scam problem. Product lead Nikita Bier explained that the system flags accounts with no prior crypto history that begin promoting tokens. These accounts will face identity verification before posting further. Think of it as the digital equivalent of a bouncer checking your ID at the club—except the club is a blockchain ecosystem and the bouncer has never heard of "just looking."

The feature targets a specific attack pattern: hackers take over high-follower accounts and use them to push meme coins or phishing links. Once inside, they can exploit audience trust to drive quick liquidity before vanishing. Classic pump-and-dump energy meets account takeover artistry. The hackers put in zero effort growing the following themselves, so they just borrow yours, promise you lambos, and dip with the liquidity like they have somewhere important to be—like a country without extradition treaties.

In practice, the update treats sudden crypto activity as suspicious by default. That could reduce large-scale phishing campaigns but may also catch legitimate users posting about crypto for the first time. For the record, there's nothing wrong with discovering DeFi at