Matthew Perry's X account was hacked by scammers attempting to carry out a cryptocurrency scam.
The account of the late Friends star, who died of a ketamine overdose on October 28, 2023 at the age of 54, posted fake links encouraging users to make donations to his foundation – with the links directing fans to a fraudulent website forwarded.
Perry's account has 1.5 million followers. The Matthew Perry Foundation released a statement Monday warning of the scam and revealing that it had regained control of his account.
Their post states: “We have received reports that Matthew’s official X page has been hacked and is redirecting users to a fraudulent website soliciting donations via cryptocurrency.”
“Please do not donate to this website or share the fraudulent posts on social media.”
Matthew Perry's
“MatthewPerryFoundation.org is the only website affiliated with the Foundation and we only accept donations through this website.”
An accompanying post said: “This is the only official Matthew Perry Foundation X account and we will only ever publish official Foundation communications from this account.”
“Please report fraudulent accounts and do not submit donations through any channel other than http://MatthewPerryFoundation.org.”
After his death, close friends of the late star founded the foundation in his name, which is dedicated to helping people struggling with addiction problems.
Perry had spoken openly about his problems with drug and alcohol addiction for years and estimated that his rehab costs totaled $9 million.
Announcing the creation, a statement from the organization said, “The Matthew Perry Foundation is the realization of Matthew's ongoing commitment to helping others struggling with the disease of addiction.”
“It will honor his legacy and be guided by his own words and experiences and driven by his passion to make a difference in as many lives as possible,” the statement announcing the foundation said.
The organization also cited a quote from Perry on its website in hopes that he will be remembered for helping others struggling with addiction.
The account of the late Friends star (pictured in 1997 as Chandler Bing), who died of a ketamine overdose on October 28, 2023 at the age of 54, posted fake links directing users to make contributions to his foundation – with the Links redirected fans to a fraudulent website
Perry's account has 1.5 million followers. The Matthew Perry Foundation released a statement Monday warning of the scam and revealing that it had regained control of his account
The quote is: “When I die, I don't want 'friends' to be the first thing mentioned – I want 'helping others' to be the first thing mentioned.”
“And I will spend the rest of my life proving it.” Addiction is far too powerful for anyone to conquer alone. But together, day by day, we can do it.”
Perry died from the “acute effects of ketamine” and drowned, his autopsy revealed – with the actor having similar amounts of ketamine in his body as a hospital patient under general anesthesia.
“The Los Angeles County Coroner has determined the cause of death for 54-year-old actor Matthew Langford Perry to be the acute effects of ketamine,” the Los Angeles Medical Examiner’s Office said.
“Factors contributing to Mr. Perry's death include drowning, coronary artery disease and the effects of buprenorphine (used to treat opioid use disorder). The manner of death is accidental.'
Perry was found face down in the hot tub next to the swimming pool at his Los Angeles home at 4:17 p.m. on October 28, stunning the world of show business and breaking the hearts of fans around the world.
He received ketamine infusion therapy to treat depression, the coroner reported – but the last session was a week and a half before his death, and the ketamine is only in your body for three to four hours, meaning that's not the case was directly leading to his death.
Perry died from the “acute effects of ketamine” and drowned, his autopsy revealed – with the actor having similar amounts of ketamine in his body as a hospital patient under general anesthesia (pictured 2017)
Perry published a memoir in 2022 called “Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing,” in which he spoke candidly about his battle with addiction
“Given the high levels of ketamine found in his postmortem blood samples, the fatal consequences would be primarily due to overstimulation of the cardiovascular system and respiratory depression,” concluded forensic pathologist Raffi Djabourian.
Perry's blood ketamine levels were 3,540 ng/mL in peripheral blood and 3,271 ng/mL in central blood.
For a patient under general anesthesia in the hospital, a blood ketamine level of 1,000-6,000 ng/ml is normal, the coroner said.
“Drowning is a contributing factor as there is a likelihood of him submerging himself in the pool while becoming unconscious; Coronary artery disease contributes, as the myocardial effects on the heart caused by ketamine are exacerbated.
“Buphrenorphine effects are listed as contributing due to additive respiratory effects at high concentrations of ketamine, although not at toxic concentrations.”
He had no alcohol, cocaine, heroin, meth or fentanyl in his system.
He was pronounced dead at the scene and the medical examiner performed the autopsy on October 29.