Award-winning Crypto Influencer Disables X Account After Allegations of Bot Use

Chain researcher ZachXBT has accused Professor Crypto, the top crypto influencer, of using bots to manipulate his social media metrics.

Following the allegations, the crypto influencer has deactivated his account without responding to the public.

False commitment strategies

In a post on X, the network’s researcher addressed the YouTuber and told him to “fire the thousands of bots” used on his social media platforms to “trick people into thinking you have influence “.

It also implied that such behavior could violate a U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) rule that prohibits the sale or purchase of fake social media influence, including followers or views generated by bots or hijacked accounts

Professor Crypto, known for his 1.34 million subscribers on YouTube, has not publicly responded to the allegations. However, he reportedly disabled his X account after receiving a community note calling him out for “using fake engagement strategies” and hiding several replies, including ZachXBT’s, from his posts.

The influencer also deleted several posts that showed him accepting the “Best Content Creator” award at the DeGen Summit in Singapore on September 17. The event, a side affair of TOKEN2049, celebrated “key opinion leaders” (KOLs), people whose opinions are influential. within the crypto industry.

His YouTube channel, where he reviews cryptocurrency exchanges, wallets, meme coins and non-fungible tokens (NFTs), has been active since August 2018. Meanwhile, his now-defunct X account created in February 2018 , had 132,000 followers, but only 102 posts, the oldest dating back to August 14, 2018.

FTC Violation and Community Reactions

Community members at X have raised further concerns. Acerbic crypto commentator NewsyJohnson claimed he had “zero mutual respect” with Professor Crypto and accused him of getting bots to follow, like and comment on his content, adding: “I don’t think that has any human follow-up.”

Others, like NFT artist Matthew Varnell, questioned his credibility, saying, “Who the hell is Professor Crypto?” Laurence Day, co-founder of Wildcat Labs, noted, “I’ve been here longer than the stars have burned, and I have exactly one mutuality with this account (someone I added in the last week).”

The incident comes shortly after the FTC’s decision in August to ban marketers from using fake reviews or other deceptive practices, including AI-generated content, to promote products and services.

In a statement cited by CNBC, FTC Chairwoman Lina Khan said at the time that fake reviews “waste people’s time and money” and distort the market. The rule also prohibits companies from exaggerating their influence by paying bots to increase their followers.

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