The crypto world is a wild ride, filled with opportunities and pitfalls. Shady promotional networks have emerged in recent years, blurring the lines between legitimate marketing and outright deception. Today, we're pulling back the curtain on how fraudulent crypto projects and crypto scam websites target the masses, exposing their deceptive strategies and the platforms they exploit to lure unsuspecting investors.
Imagine a tangled web of scam websites strategically leveraged to promote aggressively various crypto projects—some of which they own, hold significant stakes in, or have hidden financial interests in. These manipulative marketing tactics create an illusion of legitimacy, convincing investors to jump in before they realize the red flags.
According to multiple reports, scam projects like BigEyes, IMPT, and Dash2Trade have been heavily promoted using these networks. While they may look like promising crypto investments, their aggressive marketing tactics and lack of transparency raise concerns.
An investigative report covered by TheHolyCoins has uncovered how Clickout Media and its parent company, Finixio, are behind several crypto media websites, leveraging unethical SEO tactics to manipulate Google rankings and increase visibility in search results. These platforms create fake credibility through self-referential articles, sponsored content, and misleading rankings, tricking investors into believing they are legitimate sources.
The marketing modus operandi of these scam crypto platforms is a masterclass in deception. They fabricate compelling narratives, particularly during crypto presales, glossing over red flags while hyping the potential upside. This preys on FOMO (Fear of Missing Out), persuading investors to buy without fully understanding the risks.
Under the professional umbrella of their serious news sites, crypto exchanges, blogs, or other reputable businesses, they cover and review these scam projects, generate their own promoted crypto project lists, and repeatedly pump them in articles and reviews, making them appear legitimate under the guise of reputable platforms. This tactic muddies the waters, making it hard even for seasoned investors to distinguish between real opportunities and cleverly disguised frauds.
Behind all this is a highly lucrative revenue stream. Money flows from shady crypto projects to the owners of these scam websites, often with zero due diligence—or worse, with full knowledge of the fraudulent nature of these projects.
CoinSniper is a popular crypto website that lists and promotes early-stage crypto presales. While it may appear legitimate, it has become a breeding ground for crypto scams. Many rug-pull projects can buy votes to artificially boost their rankings, misleading investors into thinking they are legitimate when, in reality, they are high-risk or outright scams.
This crypto ranking website frequently advertises shady projects, including some we’ve flagged for major red flags on TheHolyCoins blog reviews section. Its homepage is often filled with banner ads, paid presale listings, and sponsored content, making it feel more like a crypto promotional platform than a trusted cryptocurrency resource for investors.
The biggest issue? Many visitors wrongly assume that these crypto presale projects must be safe investments because CoinSniper lists them. The truth is that as long as a project pays for advertising and follows minimal guidelines, it can secure a featured spot—regardless of legitimacy.
PinkSale and Gempad are popular crypto launchpads for early-stage crypto presale projects, allowing them to fundraise from retail investors. While they have enabled legit projects to succeed, they also have serious vetting vulnerabilities.
Many fraudulent crypto projects exploit these presale launchpads, conducting highly hyped presales before executing rug pulls. The lack of strict verification means that investors are gambling with their money, never knowing if they are buying into the next big project or a crypto scam.
Take, for instance, these dubious claims made by crypto projects on these early-stage cryptocurrency platforms. These fake claims attracted investors, only for the projects to disappear overnight, leaving buyers with worthless tokens:
Until regulatory bodies enforce stronger investor protections, the responsibility falls on crypto investors to stay informed, educate themselves, and conduct due diligence before investing in early-stage crypto projects.
Here are some essential steps:
At TheHolyCoins, we aim to provide clear, objective insights into crypto presales, helping investors identify red flags and make informed decisions. Stay safe, stay informed, and always do your own research before investing in any crypto project.