X sues two men for allegedly running bot network to fraudulently claim creator payouts

X is suing two men it accuses of running a coordinated bot network to siphon money from its creator payout program, according to a United Kingdom High Court complaint filed September 17.

The suit names Vivek Kumar Sen, Zamyang Sherpa, and other unidentified persons, accusing them of running six accounts as a single network to fake engagement on Bitcoin-related content and unlock Creator Revenue Sharing payouts. The program ran from July 2023 until it shut down for good on September 7, 2026.

James Burnham, X and xAI's general counsel, confirmed the filing in a post on Sunday. "Last week, X sued several people who abused Creator Revenue Sharing by operating a coordinated network of accounts, posting inauthentic content to manipulate engagement, and using multiple bank accounts to hide their scheme," he wrote. "We do not tolerate fraudulent behavior on X—and will act forcefully to protect our platform and the earnings of genuine creators."

Creator Revenue Sharing pays a cut of ad revenue based on engagement—likes, replies, reposts. To qualify, an account needs an X Premium subscription, five million impressions (views) over three months, and 500 verified followers.

Six accounts, including @Vivek4real_, @saylordocs, and @TrendingBitcoin, allegedly enrolled between 2023 and 2026, then cross-posted identical content and liked each other's tweets to fake an engaged audience.

The lawsuit shares some examples of the modus operandi. For example, on October 10, 2025, two accounts allegedly posted the same line, "Like, if you are not selling #Bitcoin," alongside the same chart, two minutes apart—one of several near-identical posts the filing says went out seconds apart.

Other strategies included copying posts and even replies between accounts.

Payouts require a linked Stripe account, the processor platforms use to pay creators. X alleges the Stripe names didn't match who was posting: one account's Stripe profile listed a "Stefan Mann," but the linked bank account and email traced back to Sen. Both men are allegedly based in Preston, England, despite the accounts appearing as distinct.

X also says Sen tried expanding the operation, recruiting other high-follower accounts. In one quoted message, Sen allegedly wrote: "Can we continue on another channel, please as you haven't enabled encrypted chat and I don't want us to get in trouble for something X doesn't allow."

X suspended all nine accounts on August 18. Its Authenticity Policy, cited in the complaint, states X "does not allow any activity that attempts to manipulate our platform or disrupt our services through inauthentic accounts, behaviors or content."

It's not X's first swing at alleged abuse. Last year it sued a bribery network tied to banned crypto-scam accounts. Creator Revenue Sharing itself, launched by Elon Musk in 2023, drew years of complaints that it rewarded reposting over original work.

The suit claims deceit, unjust enrichment, and unlawful means conspiracy—a UK claim for people who use illegitimate methods together to cause financial harm. X also asserts a constructive trust, treating the money as still belonging to X even after it moves through other accounts.

X wants the $278,000 back, plus damages, interest, and legal costs, on top of at least £75,000 it says it spent investigating. The case proceeds under claim number BL-2026-001161, with no defense filed as of September 21.