Matthew Rhys is a lot of things: An incredible freaking actor. Star of TV shows like Brothers & Sisters and Perry Mason, and films like A Beautiful Day In The Neighborhood and The Post. He’s an Emmy winner for FX’s The Americans, a documented boat lover, and an even more documented wine enthusiast. He’s also someone who apparently doesn’t give a shit about being hacked. We should all aspire to be like him.
The actor’s Twitter account (or X, if you want to go by Elon Musk’s edict) has been taken over for days, and he’s coolly enjoying his life. It’s not like he’s a frequent Twitter user, bless his heart, but Rhys interacts with fans and occasionally posts updates on the social media platform. However, starting on August 3, someone who is clearly not Rhys started using his account to sell signed MacBook Pros. The tweet started as all online scams do, with a note claiming “I have a special promotion going on !” If you fall for a line like that, the joke’s on you, right?
Here’s the post in full:
The motivated hacker hasn’t given up over the weekend, though, because this is what Musk’s Twitter/X is now. Whoever controls the account elevated their con by adding an old clip of the actor saying, “Good luck, everyone,” to make it seem legit. (It’s not.) They also doubled down by quote tweeting themselves with claims like: “My twitter DMs are opened , I can ship anywhere in the world , does not matter !” Grammar isn’t the hacker’s primary concern, okay? They’ve got laptops to get rid of.
Rhys made a statement via the Instagram account of the boat he owns. The top portion is cut off, but the rest reads: “I hope you realize that I’ve been hacked and am not in the business of selling computers. I am also locked out of the account while the issue is being resolved. If you could spread this message, I would be very grateful.” Well, worry not, because it’s clear as day that Rhys is absolutely not shipping Apple merchandise to fans. The A.V. Club reached out to his representatives for an update on the status of the account. (It’s not entirely sensible, but can we partly blame David Zaslav for canceling Perry Mason before its time? No hacker should look at Rhys and think, “Hey, that’s an easy target.”)
Rhys, meanwhile, continues to go about his day as if an imposter isn’t scamming people, even as fans continue to tell him to check his Twitter. Based on his non-hacked accounts, he’s chilling on Rarebit, his boat available to charter for a New York City harbor trip. One Instagram post from four days ago shows the boat pulling into the harbor, with fans commenting, “Check your twitter matthew” and “ur twitter bestie.” Another one from August 6 has Rhys looking dapper on the boat on a gloomy day, with comments like “NOT selling laptops.” At this point, the hardcore fans are in on the joke.
Twitter users are also chiming in, mostly noting how shocking it is that no one from the company is doing anything to stop the scam. The hacker, meanwhile, seems to be blocking anyone who calls them out. It’s not like Twitter/X has too many things going right nowadays, but the lack of security is genuinely appalling. At least Rhys will be chilling on a boat while the online world around him crumbles. There’s some solace in that.