BingChatGPT ‘pump & dump’ tokens rising by the handfuls: PeckShield

by Jeremy

Blockchain safety agency PeckShield has raised the alarm after discovering dozens of tokens purporting to be associated to synthetic intelligence (AI) powered chatbot ChatGPT.

In a Feb. 20 submit, the agency revealed not less than three “BingChatGPT” tokens seem like a part of honeypot schemes — a wise contract that methods a person into sending Ethereum (ETH), which the attacker then traps and retrieves.

Among the addresses reportedly related to the BingChatGPT tokens. Supply: PeckShield

In keeping with PeckShield, not less than two of the tokens recognized have already misplaced almost 100% of their worth, whereas a 3rd is at a 65% loss — in what’s also known as a “pump and dump” scheme or “rug pull.”

A pump-and-dump scheme sometimes includes the creators orchestrating a marketing campaign of deceptive statements and hype to influence buyers into buying tokens, then secretly promoting their stake within the scheme when costs go up. 

At the very least one of many dangerous actors behind the tokens, “Deployer 0xb583,” is accountable for creating “dozens of tokens with a pump & dump scheme,” mentioned PeckShield.

Whereas PeckShield didn’t clarify why the dangerous actors are utilizing the identify BingChatGPT for his or her tokens, the scammers might be making an attempt to make the most of the Feb. 7 announcement that OpenAI’s ChatGPT tech is being built-in into Bing and Microsoft’s internet browser Edge.

The token’s identify is perhaps an try and trick victims into considering they’re by some means associated to Microsoft and make the most of the hype round AI chatbots.

Blockchain analytics agency Chainalysis lately famous in a Feb. 16 report that just about 10,000 new tokens launched in 2022 had all of the on-chain traits of being pump-and-dump schemes.

In keeping with the Blockchain analytics agency, 1.1 million tokens have been launched final 12 months, however solely 40,521 had an “affect on the crypto ecosystem,” with not less than ten swaps over 4 consecutive days of buying and selling within the week following their launch.

An instance of a crypto pump and dump scheme. Supply: Chainalysis

“Of the 40,521 tokens launched in 2022 that gained enough traction to be price analyzing, 9,902, or 24%, noticed a value decline within the first week indicative of doable pump and dump exercise,” the agency mentioned. 

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Whereas a value drop by itself will not be a sign of wrongdoing on the a part of token creators, the agency famous that it examined 25 specifically and located “they have been nearly actually designed for a pump and dump,” and had malicious honeypot code that forestalls new consumers from promoting the token.