160 crypto influencers exposed for undisclosed paid ads

ZachXBT , a known “on-chain detective”, dropped another massive leak on September 1, exposing hundreds of crypto influencers. Namely, a price sheet posted on X reveals the wallet addresses and promotional rates of over 200 figures in the market recently approached by a project they were meant to promote. However, ZachXBT’s analysis shows that while some 160 accounts accepted the deal, fewer than five actually disclosed their posts as paid ￰0￱ LEAK: Price sheet of 200+ crypto influencers and their wallet addresses from a project they were recently contacted by to ￰1￱ 160+ accounts who accepted the deal I only saw ￰2￱ — ZachXBT (@zachxbt) September 1, 2025 Unsurprisingly, the leak is raising a number of questions regarding transparency and marketing standards with cryptocurrency , even if most of those featured on the list are “from the most recent class of CT or are just botted accounts.” The growing risk of crypto scams Decentralized finance ( DeFi ) has exploded in recent years, but its expansion has been accompanied by a sharp rise in predatory ￰3￱ 2024 alone, for example, Americans alone lost $9.3 billion to crypto crime according to the ￰4￱ impersonating important crypto figures and social media influencers are increasingly more common, with a Nefture Security crime report suggesting that chat platforms such as Telegram played a key role in facilitating fraud.

“One common feature shared across 2022, 2023, and now 2024 is that, contrary to popular belief, scam-related activities — not hacks — have been the most devastating for the crypto space.” Accordingly, regulatory and industry responses are intensifying, with the European Union’s Markets in Crypto-Assets (MiCA) and the GENIUS Act providing some much-needed clarity. Still, the decentralized nature of the industry limits regulatory effectiveness, especially since cryptocurrency still remains stigmatized in the public ￰5￱ image via Shutterstock