An in-depth profile of the anonymous blockchain detective known as ZachXBT, who has made a name for himself by tirelessly exposing crypto scams, shady influencers, and fraudsters.
Imagine this - you're a crypto newbie, excited to get in on the next big thing. You've done your research, joined some online communities, and finally taken the plunge by dropping a few Ethereum on a brand new crypto project. But just a few weeks later, the team behind the project goes radio silent and the tokens become worthless.
You've been rugpulled.
For many in the crypto world, this nightmare is all too real. The space is still rife with scammers, shills, and opportunists looking to make a quick buck off unsuspecting victims. That's where ZachXBT comes in. This anonymous blockchain investigator has become a hero to the crypto community by relentlessly exposing scams, hacks, and shady practices threatening to undermine the credibility of the entire industry.
Whether you're a veteran trader or brand new to the space, chances are you've heard the name ZachXBT before. His impact has been so significant that he was just awarded CoinMarketCap's "Social Influencer to Watch" at the 2024 Crypto Awards. It's a testament to the incredible role he has played as crypto's pro bono detective, selflessly working to make the space safer for everyone.
Note: The Social Influencer To Watch award was presented in partnership with Coinbase - one of the most trusted crypto exchanges with over $145B quarterly volume traded and $130B assets on the platform.
So who is this masked marvel, and how has he managed to take down multimillion-dollar scams and even assist in real-life arrests?
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The Anonymous Crypto Investigator
Behind the pseudonym ZachXBT is an individual committed to sniffing out scams, exploits, and shady dealings across the crypto world. He has cultivated a massive Twitter following of over 515,000 along with a Telegram channel dedicated to alerting the community about new threats.
ZachXBT's specialty? Digging through blockchain data and crafting Twitter threads that call out scammers and fraudsters, backing it all up with hard evidence. No NFT rug pull, pump-and-dump schemes, or protocol hacks are too complicated for him to unpack. His targets range from small-time hustles to multi-million dollar heists - if it jeopardizes crypto's credibility, ZachXBT is on the case.
While his real identity remains a secret, ZachXBT's reputation as crypto's top sleuth is well-established. This faceless guardian has taken down phishing crime rings, exposed shady influencers, and even assisted law enforcement in making real-world arrests related to crypto fraud.
BitBoy Crypto
One of ZachXBT's most high-profile cases was aimed at Ben Armstrong, better known as BitBoy Crypto - a major crypto influencer on YouTube. According to him, BitBoy made a good chunk of his income by promoting sketchy projects and outright scams to his audience.
ZachXBT alleged that BitBoy's "promotion" services ranged from simple website shout-outs all the way up to full-blown YouTube interviews, with prices anywhere from $2,500 to a staggering $40,000.
In one infamous tweet thread, ZachXBT shared a screenshot of a chat showing BitBoy's team offering these paid promotion packages. The allegation? That BitBoy pushed multiple crypto projects that went on to exit scam shortly after, costing investors huge.
In a follow-up thread, he outlined seven separate cases of BitBoy promoting projects that soon pulled the rug. The proof? YouTube videos and tweets that were conspicuously edited or deleted once the projects exit-scammed.
Logan Paul
While Logan Paul is a popular YouTuber with over 23 million subscribers, the anonymous ZachXBT didn’t hesitate to scrutinize the influencer's activities in crypto. According to ZachXBT, Paul developed a suspicious track record when it came to pumping low-market cap coins and abandoning his own projects.
In one viral tweet thread, ZachXBT laid out how Paul has allegedly been involved in pumping and dumping multiple coins like ElonGate and DinkDoink. The overall claim? That Paul used his massive platform to drive hype and inflate the price, only to sell off and leave investors holding the bag.
But ZachXBT's biggest callout centered on Paul's own NFT gaming project, CryptoZoo. The idea behind CryptoZoo was that owners of the 10,000 NFTs sold at 0.1 ETH each could earn ZOO tokens based on their holdings. Yet despite this initial $1 million-plus cash influx that Paul himself participated in, ZachXBT claims the project stagnated for months with little progress.
Eventually, Logan Paul publicly distanced himself from the CryptoZoo project amidst accusations it had been mismanaged into vapor. ZachXBT saw this as Paul conveniently jumping ship from yet another crypto venture after boosting the hype cycle to increase demand.
Taking Down a Bored Ape Phishing Scam
ZachXBT's investigations didn't just take down high-profile influencers and abandonware projects. In 2021, he tracked a phishing scam targeting owners of Bored Ape Yacht Club (BAYC) NFTs, which led to real-world arrests.
The con started when an online service advertised the ability to animate users' BAYC NFTs for a fee. But buyers were sent to a phishing site designed to steal their Bored Ape NFTs right out of their crypto wallets.
ZachXBT identified the 5-person crime ring behind this scam. His findings? This phishing operation had already siphoned over $2.5 million worth of NFTs from unsuspecting owners.
Armed with evidence, ZachXBT's investigation aided French authorities in tracking down and arresting the 5 individuals in late 2021. The perpetrators were eventually convicted for their role in the multimillion-dollar phishing scheme targeting BAYC holders.
While ZachXBT operated under a pseudonym, this case demonstrated how his work could have real-world impacts in conjunction with law enforcement. By tracing the money trail, the anonymous investigator played a pivotal role in bringing actual criminals looting the NFT space to justice.
The MachiBigBrother Defamation Battle
ZachXBT's relentless quest to expose crypto scams hasn't been without its battles. As someone unafraid to call out shady actors, it was inevitable that some of his targets would fight back. The most high-profile case was a defamation lawsuit filed by Taiwanese NFT trader Jeffrey Huang, better known as MachiBigBrother on Crypto Twitter.
In 2022, ZachXBT published an article alleging misconduct by MachiBigBrother across several of his crypto projects, many of which have since shut down. The biggest claim centered around the blockchain treasury platform Formosa Financial. ZachXBT alleged that MachiBigBrother and co-founder George Tsieh embezzled 22,000 ETH out of the 44,000 ETH raised during Formosa's 2018 initial coin offering.
MachiBigBrother denied this claim of embezzlement. He fought back by filing a defamation lawsuit against ZachXBT over the allegations in that article.
Facing a legal battle, ZachXBT took to Twitter to crowdsource a defense fund. Within just three days, he raised over $1 million from major crypto companies like Binance, Coinbase, Uniswap and ByBit, as well as high-profile community members.
In the end, the defamation suit was dropped after ZachXBT agreed to make some edits to the original article, removing words like "embezzled" and "stolen." With the legal battle resolved, ZachXBT returned all unused donated funds to respective contributors.
Leaving “No Place to Hide”
While the MachiBigBrother lawsuit was a significant battle, it clearly didn't deter ZachXBT from his mission as crypto's anonymous watchdog. To this day, he continues sounding the alarm on new scams, exploits, and shady behavior across the blockchain world.
With some parts of crypto still operating in unregulated "wild west" territory, ZachXBT's role as an impartial investigator is more vital than ever. His dedication to on-chain analysis and willingness to call out frauds - no matter how big the name or platform - has made him a hero to many in the space.
And that dedication was recently recognized when ZachXBT won CoinMarketCap's "Social Influencer to Watch" award for 2024. It's a well-deserved honor for crypto's preeminent digital detective, one who has assisted in real-life arrests, exposed multimillion-dollar scams, and gone head-to-head with lawsuit-wielding whales.
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