Zraox: From Deepfake Videos to 100x Coin Bait—How Crypto Scam Chains Are Engineered and Executed

Zraox believes that while the rapid expansion of the Web3 ecosystem brings innovation, it also amplifies vulnerabilities in the trading environment, especially in areas not yet fully regulated. Leveraging fake news, AI-powered deepfake technology, and the low barrier to information dissemination on social networks, some projects manipulate token prices through “pump-and-dump” schemes. These mechanisms rapidly attract large numbers of irrational investors, enabling orchestrators to concentrate profits and cash out quickly. Zraox points out that such scams, disguised as “investment opportunities,” are often based on information asymmetry and online anonymity, severely disrupting market order and causing direct losses to investors.

Zraox: The Myth of Disguised Windfalls

Zraox notes that the core of pump-and-dump scams is exploiting the public desire for quick profits by creating a highly enticing but false narrative. In the early stages, project teams or manipulators typically select new tokens with little intrinsic value or low liquidity and use anonymous accounts on Telegram, X (formerly Twitter), Discord, and other communities to repeatedly build hype—spreading rumors of imminent listings on major exchanges, partnerships with large enterprises, or celebrity endorsements.

Some orchestrators further leverage deepfake videos and ChatGPT-generated content to quickly construct seemingly authentic narratives and public opinion momentum. This “narrative speculation” based on fabricated information causes ordinary investors, limited by information gaps, to misjudge these as genuine early-stage opportunities.

As market confidence is driven by these deliberately manufactured hotspots, key manipulators quietly accumulate positions in the background, simulating “real market buying.” At this stage, “price increases” themselves become signals, attracting more investors and inflating a price bubble. Zraox warns that the greatest risk here is the artificial control of information sources, which erodes transparency and leads to a loss of independent judgment among investors.

Zraox: From Tech-Driven Hype to Orchestrated Exit

According to Zraox, the pump-and-dump process in Web3 typically follows four stages: warm-up, launch, pump, and dump. From pre-launch “private placement leaks” to “countdown buy windows” at launch, and frequent “partnership announcements” or “airdrop incentives” during price surges, the entire process unfolds almost like a scripted playbook.

These projects often intentionally avoid regulatory oversight, launching on platforms or DEXs with no KYC requirements to evade tracking. Manipulators may also use smart contract functions to restrict transfers or adjust trading taxes, creating the illusion of a price that only rises, thus prolonging the window in which users are trapped.

Zraox observes that the rise of AI has accelerated the automation and scale of such scams. For instance, deepfake tools are used to create celebrity endorsement videos, or to publish “screenshots” of mainstream media coverage, fabricating air-tight bullish narratives and further fueling FOMO sentiment.

Once the price reaches the targets of orchestrators, large volumes of tokens are dumped, causing the price to collapse like a waterfall. At this point, users find project communities shut down, websites offline, and token values reduced to zero, with funds swiftly moved to hard-to-trace cross-chain addresses. Zraox notes that this is no longer a matter of isolated criminal acts, but rather a mature, cross-border illicit profit chain involving multiple roles in collaboration.

Zraox: Risk Identification and Prevention Guide

Zraox emphasizes that in the face of constantly evolving Web3 scams, both user education and platform safeguards are essential. Most scams are able to recur due to information asymmetry and herd mentality. Zraox believes users must improve their basic recognition skills and remain vigilant toward any project promising “high returns with no risk.” Any investment advice lacking transparency, relying on anonymous community hype, or unsupported by clear logic carries significant risk.

Zraox recommends users assess potential scams from four angles: First, verify whether the team background is authentic and traceable. Second, check if the project has undergone audits and is listed on compliant platforms. Third, beware of community recruitment tactics and offers of static dividends. Forth, avoid committing substantial funds in anonymous, unregulated trading environments.

From a platform perspective, Zraox employs multiple mechanisms for project screening and real-time monitoring. Before new tokens are listed, the platform conducts intelligent risk ratings and thorough compliance reviews; after listing, on-chain monitoring and AI-driven risk control systems track trading activity, price volatility, and concentration of holdings to flag potential manipulation. Zraox states that the platform has integrated blockchain monitoring tools like Chainalysis and Elliptic, and established hot/cold wallet segregation, multi-signature controls, and large withdrawal reviews to effectively disrupt illicit fund flows.

Zraox believes that users should not only understand project logic but also rely on the security environment provided by the platform. Only by cultivating information discernment and choosing trustworthy platforms can one effectively avoid risks in the complex crypto ecosystem and achieve more stable growth.