Price of being crypto influencer: Cash, scams, and damaged trust

​People who can persuade millions—who are they? Some need only to show their faces, while others hide for years behind pseudonyms and anonymous avatars. But the important thing is this: their words, sometimes hastily typed on social media or spoken during a livestream, spark waves of trust that turn into millions of dollars. Their advice and opinions have taken some to the heights of wealth, while pushing others into the abyss of bankruptcy.

A crypto influencer is not just a blogger. It is a person who can raise the price of a coin with a single post on X. But recent exposés show that behind the pretty words lies a business where trust is a commodity, and people’s savings are bargaining chips.

Fresh leak: The price tag on trust

At the beginning of September 2025, independent investigator ZachXBT published a spreadsheet revealing the going rate for an “opinion” from well-known figures in the crypto world. The file listed wallets, rates, and terms of cooperation for more than 200 influencers in discussions with potential sponsors. The prices varied: from a few hundred dollars to tens of thousands for a post, and from several thousand up to over $100,000 for a video.

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The most important part—most of these posts were disguised as “genuine recommendations.” No disclosure, no “sponsored” tag. For viewers, they looked like expert advice; for the influencers, it was simply paid work.

FaZe Banks and Adin Ross: $200 million on a memecoin

July 2025. A new star emerges on X and Telegram—MLG, a token created in the spirit of gamer culture. Within days, its market cap surged to $150 million. The hype was fueled by famous names: FaZe Banks, co-founder of FaZe Clan, and streamer Adin Ross. Their support turned MLG into one of the hottest topics in the crypto community.

But just as quickly came the fall. Investors who bought at the top lost everything. Accusations followed: it was a $200 million rug pull. Screenshots of internal chats leaked, showing Banks shifting blame onto Ross: “The only real culprit is Adin.” Ross fired back: “I was set up.”

The reality was harsh: millions vanished, the coin collapsed, and FaZe Banks resigned. In his farewell post, he wrote that “the internet ruined my life.” But for thousands of investors, it was his words that ruined theirs.

Crypto Beast: $11 Million into nowhere

Another scandal rocked the summer of 2025. Influencer Crypto Beast heavily promoted the ALT token. His posts urged followers to hold, promising “a bright future.” Then came a 97% crash.

ZachXBT found that 45 wallets linked to Crypto Beast dumped about $11 million worth of tokens on the very same day. ALT’s market cap plunged from $190 million to $3 million. The influencer quietly deleted posts and disappeared. A textbook pump-and-dump. Played out live on social media.

XiaCalls: Catfishing as a business model

You don’t always need millions of followers or the status of an esports star. Sometimes, a nice avatar and a convincing persona are enough.

The case of XiaCalls revealed another side of crypto influencing. Previously known as XiaWeb3, he spent years posing as a young woman. When the deception came out, he simply changed his handle, swapped the avatar, and carried on. One would expect everyone to unfollow. But no: projects kept paying him. For just two promo posts, Xia received around $2,000.

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Even after losing credibility, the reality is clear: if you have an audience, there will always be someone willing to pay for access to it.

Old players, same tricks

And of course, the crypto community has not forgotten the older scandals. BitBoy Crypto (Ben Armstrong) was the loudest name in past years. His channel with over a million subscribers looked like an “encyclopedia of crypto.” But behind flashy titles like “10x Tokens That Will Change Your Life” lay the same scheme: paid promotion with no disclosure. Videos disappeared after projects collapsed, but evidence remained—screenshots and archives. In 2021, ZachXBT analyzed BitBoy’s picks: investors who blindly followed his advice lost between 75% and 95% of their money. Not just “bad calls”—a factory of illusions running on a clear price list.

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Legal labyrinth: Consequences for influencers

The legal basis for holding crypto influencers accountable remains unclear. Laws simply cannot keep up with the pace at which new tokens, meme coins, and influencers appear. The result: millions of people lose money, but only a handful face consequences. Can an influencer’s promo even be classified as “advertising”? If yes, then it falls under consumer protection laws. Which means undisclosed ads or misleading statements are not “bad forecasts”—they’re violations of the law. Courts worldwide are starting to examine how traditional securities laws might apply to crypto. But the decentralized nature of the market and different jurisdictional rules make enforcement messy. For influencers, this means what’s legal in London or Dubai today could be grounds for a lawsuit in New York tomorrow. In the U.S., the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has already prosecuted celebrities for promoting ICOs without disclosing their compensation—treating it as a violation of federal anti-advertising provisions. France went even further: it proposed an outright ban on influencers promoting crypto products. Not just as a guideline but as law, with clear consequences: two years in prison and a $32,300 fine for violations. The world is moving toward a reality where influencers face not only reputational but also criminal consequences. Today you can earn $50,000 from a post; tomorrow you could end up in court—or in jail.

Who pays the biggest price?