Verify a decision

{"actor":"system:backfill","investigation_id":"1e5a0170-7238-4c75-8a3d-9543ebe7c48b","kind":"publish","page_slug":"vitalik-buterin","published_at":"2026-05-18T23:07:57.591Z","sequence_num":1,"snapshot":{"content_type":"investigation","entity_name":"Vitalik Buterin","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":[]}],"sources_used":[],"summary":"Vitalik Buterin is the legitimate co-founder of Ethereum and is not himself a scam actor. However, his name, likeness, and social media presence constitute one of the most heavily weaponized impersonation surfaces in crypto. Documented threats include a September 2023 SIM-swap of his X account (linked to Pink Drainer, resulting in ~$691K stolen from followers), persistent fake giveaway livestreams on YouTube, thousands of fraudulent Instagram accounts, and an escalating campaign of AI-generated deepfake videos distributing wallet-drainer phishing links.","timeline":[{"date":"2018-10-03","event":"Fake Instagram account @buterin_vitalik with 24,000 followers collects 37.491 ETH (~$7,500 at the time) via a fake giveaway directing victims through a Telegram bot.","source":"","source_url":"https://cryptoslate.com/vitaliks-impostor-instagram-account-collects-37-ether-in-apparent-giveaway-scam/"},{"date":"2020-07-10","event":"CoinDesk reports that crypto giveaway scams impersonating Buterin and other figures are flourishing on YouTube, constituting an established multi-year threat vector.","source":"","source_url":"https://www.coindesk.com/markets/2020/07/10/crypto-giveaway-scams-continue-to-flourish-on-youtube"},{"date":"2022-01-04","event":"A fraudulent Instagram account using the handle @vitalik.eth accumulates over 570,000 followers and runs sponsored paid advertisements to promote staking scams.","source":"","source_url":"https://u.today/scam-alert-someone-allegedly-impersonates-vitalik-buterin-on-instagram-pulling-off-crypto-scams"},{"date":"2022-02-18","event":"Group-IB documents 36 fabricated YouTube giveaway livestreams using Buterin footage over a 48-hour window; scammer wallets receive over $1.6 million in 281 transactions from more than 165,000 viewers.","source":"","source_url":"https://www.group-ib.com/media-center/press-releases/crypto-trap/"},{"date":"2022-08-15","event":"Vitalik Buterin publicly warns via his Twitter account that all 5,000+ Instagram accounts claiming to be him are fake and constitute scams.","source":"","source_url":"https://thecryptobasic.com/2022/08/15/all-5000-of-my-instagram-accounts-are-fake-ethereum-founder-vitalik-buterin-gives-a-reminder/"},{"date":"2022-01-01","event":"Attacker compromises verified journalist Aaron Goldfarb's Twitter account, redesigns it to impersonate Vitalik Buterin, and uses it to launch phishing campaigns targeting followers.","source":"","source_url":"https://u.today/vitalik-buterin-scam-hits-verified-account-of-famous-journalist"},{"date":"2023-09-09","event":"Attacker SIM-swaps Buterin's T-Mobile number, resets his X account password, and posts a phishing link for a fake 'Proto-Danksharding commemorative NFT.' ZachXBT tracks losses reaching ~$691,000, including CryptoPunk #3983 (~$244,000). Attack wallet is linked to Pink Drainer.","source":"","source_url":"https://decrypt.co/155738/hacker-steals-690000-after-hijacking-vitalik-buterin-x-account"},{"date":"2023-09-12","event":"Buterin confirms publicly via Farcaster that the attack was a SIM swap via T-Mobile, and advises users to remove phone numbers from X account settings.","source":"","source_url":"https://decrypt.co/156000/vitalik-buterin-sim-swap-attack-behind-700000-twitter-hack"},{"date":"2024-02-07","event":"CertiK discloses a deepfake video falsely depicting Buterin endorsing a wallet-drainer phishing site, marking an escalation from text-based impersonation to synthetic AI-generated video.","source":"","source_url":"https://crypto.news/analysts-discover-deepfakes-of-vitalik-buterin-promoting-scam-crypto-wallet/"},{"date":"2024-08-01","event":"Buterin publicly highlights the threat of AI deepfakes to identity verification, noting the increasing difficulty of distinguishing authentic from synthetic video content.","source":"","source_url":"https://cointelegraph.com/news/ai-deepfake-crypto-scams-2024"},{"date":"2025-01-01","event":"Reports indicate AI-generated deepfake impersonation videos of Buterin and other crypto figures surged 500 percent year-on-year, with $5 million attributed to deepfake crypto scam operations in Q2 2024 alone.","source":"","source_url":"https://yellow.com/research/crypto-fraud-in-2025-hits-record-highs-from-youtube-deepfakes-to-pig-butchering-scams"}]},"v":1}