Verify a decision

{"actor":"system:backfill","investigation_id":"8d955c84-2a3f-4d9a-a478-5568c1fe5c8a","kind":"publish","page_slug":"nftmachine","published_at":"2026-05-16T03:35:21.139Z","sequence_num":1,"snapshot":{"content_type":"investigation","entity_name":"NFTMachine","sections":[{"content":"","heading":"","severity":"medium","sources":[]},{"content":"","heading":"","severity":"medium","sources":[]},{"content":"","heading":"","severity":"medium","sources":[]},{"content":"","heading":"","severity":"medium","sources":[]},{"content":"","heading":"","severity":"medium","sources":[]},{"content":"","heading":"","severity":"medium","sources":[]},{"content":"","heading":"","severity":"medium","sources":[]},{"content":"","heading":"","severity":"medium","sources":[]}],"sources_used":[],"summary":"NFTMachine is the online alias of Tyler Gaye, a Denver, Colorado resident who allegedly orchestrated a presale fraud in early 2021 by raising approximately $500,000 (reportedly 277 ETH from 130+ investors) for a promised NFT marketplace called opeNFT (also stylized ONFT), which was never launched. A Denver District Court judge entered a default judgment of $275,000 against Gaye in November 2022, classifying the conduct as civil theft. On-chain investigator ZachXBT has subsequently alleged Gaye continued launching new crypto projects — including Arcade DAO and Gamegear — under the alias 'scaredofboobs' without satisfying the court-ordered judgment.","timeline":[{"date":"2021-02-01","event":"NFTMachine announces opeNFT via Medium as a community-owned NFT art aggregator and opens a Telegram group for investors.","source":"","source_url":"https://openft.medium.com/introducing-openft-the-first-community-owned-crypto-art-aggregator-bc50cfb359af"},{"date":"2021-02-01","event":"opeNFT presale launches: 37,500 ONFT tokens offered at $13.33/token (0.0074 ETH), targeting a $500,000 raise. Approximately 277 ETH collected from 130+ investors within days.","source":"","source_url":"https://nftevening.com/openft-investors-get-lawyers-involved-after-project-is-branded-a-rugpull/"},{"date":"2021-02-22","event":"NFTMachine allegedly spends 75 ETH (~$190,000) on personal NFT purchases — largely MoonCats — within one week of the presale closing.","source":"","source_url":"https://businessden.com/2022/05/24/investors-say-denver-nft-artist-stole-500k-spent-it-on-pixelated-cat-art/"},{"date":"2021-04-01","event":"First signs of investor distress emerge; investors asking questions are allegedly banned from the project Telegram channel.","source":"","source_url":"https://threadreaderapp.com/thread/1493975165625065472.html"},{"date":"2021-07-01","event":"NFTMachine claims the platform is '95% complete' and releases a mockup site after five months of delays.","source":"","source_url":"https://threadreaderapp.com/thread/1493975165625065472.html"},{"date":"2021-10-01","event":"NFTMachine mutes the Telegram group, ceases public communication, and blocks critics. opeNFT platform never launches.","source":"","source_url":"https://threadreaderapp.com/thread/1493975165625065472.html"},{"date":"2022-02-15","event":"Crypto investor 0xShual publishes a detailed Twitter thread marking one year since the opeNFT Telegram launch, documenting the alleged fraud and identifying Tyler Gaye as NFTMachine.","source":"","source_url":"https://threadreaderapp.com/thread/1493975165625065472.html"},{"date":"2022-05-24","event":"BusinessDen reports that seven investors have filed a civil lawsuit against Tyler Gaye in Denver District Court, alleging he stole $500K and spent it on pixelated cat art (MoonCats NFTs).","source":"","source_url":"https://businessden.com/2022/05/24/investors-say-denver-nft-artist-stole-500k-spent-it-on-pixelated-cat-art/"},{"date":"2022-09-01","event":"NFT Evening reports that opeNFT investors have retained lawyers after the project is widely branded a rug pull.","source":"","source_url":"https://nftevening.com/openft-investors-get-lawyers-involved-after-project-is-branded-a-rugpull/"},{"date":"2022-11-09","event":"Denver District Court Judge David Goldberg enters a default judgment against Tyler Gaye for $275,000 — comprising $55,000 restitution, $55,000 exemplary damages, and $165,000 in punitive damages for civil theft — after Gaye fails to respond to the lawsuit.","source":"","source_url":"https://businessden.com/2022/11/07/nft-scammer-from-denver-ordered-to-pay-275k/"},{"date":"2023-03-29","event":"ZachXBT issues a community alert on X warning that NFTMachine has launched Arcade DAO and alleging it is both a scam and involves blatant copyright infringement.","source":"","source_url":"https://x.com/zachxbt/status/1640892272161046535"},{"date":"2023-12-28","event":"ZachXBT alleges via Telegram that X user 'scaredofboobs', developer of the Solana-connected retro gaming platform Gamegear, is Tyler Gaye (NFTMachine). ZachXBT states Gaye has not paid the court-ordered judgment and continues launching new crypto projects.","source":"","source_url":"https://cointelegraph.com/news/zachxbt-alleges-gamegear-dev-scaredofboobs-is-scammer-nft-machine"}]},"v":1}