Audit log

Every state-changing event for ZachXBT Crypto Influencer Paid-Promotion Leak (200+ Influencers, September 2025): moderation decisions on community submissions, plus corrections and updates from the news pipeline. URL-based decisions are designed to carry three independent witnesses — the original source, an Internet Archive snapshot, and a Solana memo signed by our publicly-disclosed publisher key. Archive coverage is still being backfilled, so each decision below reports its own snapshot status rather than assuming one exists.

1. #1publishby system:backfill

   2026-09-16 23:23:53Z
   Score: ? → ? (no score change)
   anchoranchored

   chain

   ●mainnet-betaslot 447,646,624

   sig

   3XM4zSN1bciW…txk9jM9ucopyexplorer ↗

   hash

   FKZAYV79DsMN…6P7GFMv4copysha256 → base58

   verifying row…full verify ↗

   canonical bytes (20220 B) ▸

   {"actor":"system:backfill","investigation_id":"915bec29-93e1-4a84-9025-20a81f191253","kind":"publish","page_slug":"zachxbt-crypto-influencer-paid-promotion-leak-200-influencers-september-2025","published_at":"2026-09-16T23:23:53.241Z","sequence_num":1,"snapshot":{"content_type":"investigation","entity_name":"ZachXBT Crypto Influencer Paid-Promotion Leak (200+ Influencers, September 2025)","sections":[{"content":"On September 1, 2025, ZachXBT — a pseudonymous blockchain forensics investigator — published on X (formerly Twitter) a leaked spreadsheet covering more than 200 crypto influencer accounts. According to reporting by The Block, Bitcoinist, AMBCrypto, Blocmates, and Cryptopolitan, the spreadsheet listed per-post pricing, Solana blockchain wallet addresses for payment, and links to on-chain payment receipts confirming that transactions had occurred. ZachXBT stated in a direct quote reproduced across multiple outlets: 'From 160+ accounts who accepted the deal I only saw <5 accounts actually disclose the promotional posts as an advertisement.' He characterized the core problem as one of non-disclosure rather than paid promotion per se, noting there is 'nothing wrong with influencers doing paid promotion' provided they genuinely believe in the project and disclose clearly. The dataset, per ZachXBT, reflects a single campaign from a single project and does not represent the entire influencer marketing industry in crypto.","heading":"Overview of the Leak","severity":"high","sources":[{"credibility":2,"name":"ZachXBT says over 100 crypto influencers accepted promo deals without disclosing paid ads — The Block","type":"news_article","url":"https://www.theblock.co/post/368956/zachxbt-says-over-100-crypto-influencers-accepted-promo-deals-without-disclosing-paid-ads"},{"credibility":2,"name":"200+ Influencers Named in Paid Crypto Promotion Leak, Few Disclosed Ads — Blocmates","type":"news_article","url":"https://www.blocmates.com/news-posts/200-influencers-named-in-paid-crypto-promotion-leak-few-disclosed-ads"},{"credibility":2,"name":"Over 200 crypto influencers exposed in undisclosed ad price sheet leak — Cryptopolitan","type":"news_article","url":"https://www.cryptopolitan.com/over-200-crypto-influencers-exposed/"},{"credibility":2,"name":"Crypto Influencers' Insane Hidden Payouts Exposed By ZachXBT — Bitcoinist","type":"news_article","url":"https://bitcoinist.com/crypto-influencers-insane-hidden-payouts-exposed/"}]},{"content":"The leaked spreadsheet organized influencer accounts into tiered pricing bands. Tier 1 accounts commanded the highest rates, with the account @Atitty_ (also rendered as @Atity in some reports) listed at $60,000 per promotional post — the highest single-post rate in the document. Other top-tier figures included @sibeleth at $10,000–$40,000 per post (figures vary across sources), @MediaGiraffes at $5,000, @ApeMP5 at approximately $4,250, and @herrocrypto at $2,500. Mid-tier accounts in Tier 2 and Tier 3 ranged from $750 to $4,750, with bulk package discounts available. The lowest-tier accounts received as little as $50 per post. ZachXBT noted that several high-follower accounts appeared to have inflated engagement metrics, commenting that some 'do small giveaway posts to farm engagement from people in developing countries.' The spreadsheet also listed Solana wallet addresses for each account, and on-chain receipts were cited as confirmation that payments had been made. Some wallet addresses were reportedly reused across multiple accounts, which researchers noted could aid further on-chain attribution.","heading":"Pricing Structure and Tiered Rate Sheet","severity":"high","sources":[{"credibility":2,"name":"ZachXBT exposé unmasks 200+ crypto influencers in paid promo scandal — AMBCrypto","type":"news_article","url":"https://ambcrypto.com/zachxbt-expose-unmasks-200-crypto-influencers-in-paid-promo-scandal/"},{"credibility":2,"name":"ZachXBT Exposes 160 Crypto Influencers for Undisclosed Paid Promotions — CoinCentral","type":"news_article","url":"https://coincentral.com/zachxbt-exposes-160-crypto-influencers-for-undisclosed-paid-promotions/"},{"credibility":2,"name":"Over 200 crypto influencers exposed in undisclosed ad price sheet leak — Cryptopolitan","type":"news_article","url":"https://www.cryptopolitan.com/over-200-crypto-influencers-exposed/"},{"credibility":2,"name":"200+ Crypto influencers caught hiding paid promotions from followers — Cybernews","type":"news_article","url":"https://cybernews.com/crypto/hundreds-crypto-influencers-caught-deceiving-followers/"}]},{"content":"The central regulatory concern arising from this leak is the near-total failure to comply with mandatory advertising disclosure requirements. In the United States, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) requires influencers to clearly and conspicuously disclose any material connection to a brand or project they promote, including cash payments. Penalties for individual FTC violations range from approximately $51,744 to $53,088 per violation as of 2025. The UK's Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) enforces a broadly comparable standard under the CAP Code, requiring disclosure before a consumer engages with the content. Of roughly 160 influencer accounts that reportedly accepted payment from the single campaign documented in the spreadsheet, fewer than five disclosed their posts as sponsored content — a compliance rate below 3%. No FTC or ASA enforcement actions against any of the named accounts have been publicly confirmed as of the date of this investigation. The absence of enforcement action to date is consistent with the historically rare use of regulatory powers in this space, but does not constitute a finding of compliance. The Kim Kardashian SEC settlement in 2022 ($1 million, related to crypto promotion without disclosure) is frequently cited in commentary on this leak as a precedent for regulatory exposure, though that case involved securities laws rather than FTC advertising rules.","heading":"Disclosure Compliance and Regulatory Exposure","severity":"high","sources":[{"credibility":2,"name":"ZachXBT Leak Reveals Fewer Than Five of 160+ Crypto Influencers Admit Paid Promotions — CCN","type":"news_article","url":"https://www.ccn.com/news/crypto/zachxbt-leak-crypto-influencers-paid-promotions/"},{"credibility":2,"name":"FTC Disclosure Checklist by Platform (2025 Update) — Influencer Marketing Hub","type":"other","url":"https://influencermarketinghub.com/ftc-disclosure-checklist-by-platform/"},{"credibility":2,"name":"Secret $60K Crypto Posts Revealed in ZachXBT's Latest Transparency Bombshell — CoinLaw","type":"news_article","url":"https://coinlaw.io/zachxbt-crypto-influencer-promotion-scandal/"}]},{"content":"Multiple reporting outlets named specific influencer accounts listed in the leaked spreadsheet. The accounts most frequently cited across sources include: @Atitty_ (or @Atity), listed at $60,000 per post and described by some reports as having engagement inflated through giveaway campaigns; @sibeleth, listed at figures ranging from $10,000 to $40,000 depending on the source; @MediaGiraffes, at $5,000; @ApeMP5, at approximately $4,250; @herrocrypto, at $2,500; @xiacalls (formerly @xiaweb3), reported to have received approximately $2,000 for two promotional posts and noted separately as an account previously accused of catfishing; @TedPillows; @Fuelkek; @JeremyYBTC; and an account identified as @Eddy at $2,000 per tweet. ZachXBT himself noted that many listed accounts were relative newcomers or appeared to have artificially boosted follower counts. The inclusion of a wallet address and on-chain receipt in the spreadsheet for each account is what distinguishes this leak from prior allegations: it enables independent verification of payments through public blockchain explorers. AVOID.NET has not independently verified the wallet-to-account attributions reported by third-party outlets. Readers should treat named-account attributions as allegations sourced from ZachXBT's publication rather than adjudicated findings.","heading":"Named Accounts in the Spreadsheet","severity":"medium","sources":[{"credibility":2,"name":"ZachXBT exposé unmasks 200+ crypto influencers in paid promo scandal — AMBCrypto","type":"news_article","url":"https://ambcrypto.com/zachxbt-expose-unmasks-200-crypto-influencers-in-paid-promo-scandal/"},{"credibility":2,"name":"200+ Influencers Named in Paid Crypto Promotion Leak, Few Disclosed Ads — Blocmates","type":"news_article","url":"https://www.blocmates.com/news-posts/200-influencers-named-in-paid-crypto-promotion-leak-few-disclosed-ads"},{"credibility":2,"name":"ZachXBT Exposes 160 Crypto Influencers for Undisclosed Paid Promotions — CoinCentral","type":"news_article","url":"https://coincentral.com/zachxbt-exposes-160-crypto-influencers-for-undisclosed-paid-promotions/"}]},{"content":"Researchers and commentators have drawn a contextual connection between undisclosed influencer promotion campaigns and downstream retail investor harm from token collapses. The CR7 token incident — which preceded this leak by approximately one week — is the most frequently cited example. On August 25, 2025, a Solana-based token named CR7, which falsely implied an association with footballer Cristiano Ronaldo, reached a market capitalization of approximately $143 million before collapsing approximately 98% within roughly 15 minutes. On-chain analyst firm Bubblemaps characterized the CR7 event as 'likely an organized group effort.' Several influencers reportedly promoted the CR7 token and subsequently deleted their posts. Reporting by Decrypt, Cryptopolitan, and CoinGape documented the CR7 collapse independently of the ZachXBT spreadsheet leak. The two incidents are referenced together in commentary — including by Blocmates and Cryptopolitan — as illustrative of how undisclosed promotional networks can amplify fraudulent token launches, but no reporting has established through primary sourcing that any account named in the ZachXBT spreadsheet was a paid promoter in the CR7 campaign specifically. That connection should be treated as contextual inference, not a verified factual link, at the current state of evidence.","heading":"Connection to Token Collapses and Downstream Harm","severity":"high","sources":[{"credibility":2,"name":"Cristiano Ronaldo Meme Coin Rumors Fuel $143 Million CR7 'Rug Pull' — Decrypt","type":"news_article","url":"https://decrypt.co/336671/cristiano-ronaldo-meme-coin-143-million-cr7-rug-pull"},{"credibility":2,"name":"CR7 Meme Coin Hits $5M Market Cap Then Dumps Following $143M Rug Pull — CoinGape","type":"news_article","url":"https://coingape.com/cr7-meme-coin-hits-5m-market-cap-then-dumps-following-143m-rug-pull/"},{"credibility":2,"name":"200+ Influencers Named in Paid Crypto Promotion Leak, Few Disclosed Ads — Blocmates","type":"news_article","url":"https://www.blocmates.com/news-posts/200-influencers-named-in-paid-crypto-promotion-leak-few-disclosed-ads"}]},{"content":"ZachXBT is a pseudonymous on-chain investigator who has built a public record of forensic blockchain research. His work is generally treated as Tier 2 sourcing by AVOID.NET — credible and widely reported, but not equivalent to a court filing or regulatory determination. In this instance, the leaked spreadsheet contained publicly verifiable on-chain components (wallet addresses, transaction receipts on the Solana blockchain), which elevates the evidentiary weight of the core disclosure-rate claim relative to a purely anecdotal allegation. ZachXBT stated that the dataset represents a single campaign and cautioned against extrapolating it to the entire industry. He also noted limitations in creating a persistent public transparency list: 'sadly if I created a list they would just block me to remove themselves from it.' The identity of the project that commissioned the campaign in the leaked spreadsheet has not been publicly confirmed in the sources reviewed for this investigation. No responding statements from named influencers have been verified in primary source reporting reviewed here.","heading":"ZachXBT's Role and Methodology","severity":"low","sources":[{"credibility":2,"name":"ZachXBT says over 100 crypto influencers accepted promo deals without disclosing paid ads — The Block","type":"news_article","url":"https://www.theblock.co/post/368956/zachxbt-says-over-100-crypto-influencers-accepted-promo-deals-without-disclosing-paid-ads"},{"credibility":2,"name":"200+ Influencers Named in Paid Crypto Promotion Leak, Few Disclosed Ads — Blocmates","type":"news_article","url":"https://www.blocmates.com/news-posts/200-influencers-named-in-paid-crypto-promotion-leak-few-disclosed-ads"},{"credibility":2,"name":"Crypto Sleuth ZachXBT Uncovers Undisclosed Payouts to Over 200 Influencers — Disruption Banking","type":"news_article","url":"https://www.disruptionbanking.com/2025/09/12/crypto-sleuth-zachxbt-uncovers-undisclosed-payouts-to-over-200-influencers/"}]},{"content":"Undisclosed paid promotion is a recurring structural issue in cryptocurrency social media. The influencer marketing model — where project teams engage 'key opinion leaders' (KOLs) through promotional networks — has existed for several years, but enforcement against non-disclosure has been rare. The ZachXBT leak is notable for providing on-chain verification of payment flows, which is unusual compared to prior exposures that relied primarily on screenshots or whistleblower testimony. Commentary from Traders Union, Disruption Banking, and Cryptopolitan situates the incident within a broader pattern of promotional activity that can benefit thinly traded tokens prone to price manipulation, while retail investors remain unaware of the paid nature of the content they encounter. No systemic regulatory response targeting the named accounts has been reported as of the date of this investigation.","heading":"Industry and Systemic Context","severity":"medium","sources":[{"credibility":3,"name":"Price of being a crypto influencer: Cash, scams, and damaged trust — Traders Union","type":"news_article","url":"https://tradersunion.com/news/editors-picks/show/484741-price-of-being-crypto-influencer/"},{"credibility":2,"name":"Crypto Sleuth ZachXBT Uncovers Undisclosed Payouts to Over 200 Influencers — Disruption Banking","type":"news_article","url":"https://www.disruptionbanking.com/2025/09/12/crypto-sleuth-zachxbt-uncovers-undisclosed-payouts-to-over-200-influencers/"},{"credibility":2,"name":"ZachXBT exposé unmasks 200+ crypto influencers in paid promo scandal — AMBCrypto","type":"news_article","url":"https://ambcrypto.com/zachxbt-expose-unmasks-200-crypto-influencers-in-paid-promo-scandal/"}]}],"sources_used":[{"credibility":2,"name":"ZachXBT says over 100 crypto influencers accepted promo deals without disclosing paid ads — The Block","type":"news_article","url":"https://www.theblock.co/post/368956/zachxbt-says-over-100-crypto-influencers-accepted-promo-deals-without-disclosing-paid-ads"},{"credibility":2,"name":"200+ Crypto influencers caught hiding paid promotions from followers — Cybernews","type":"news_article","url":"https://cybernews.com/crypto/hundreds-crypto-influencers-caught-deceiving-followers/"},{"credibility":2,"name":"Crypto Influencers' Insane Hidden Payouts Exposed By ZachXBT — Bitcoinist","type":"news_article","url":"https://bitcoinist.com/crypto-influencers-insane-hidden-payouts-exposed/"},{"credibility":2,"name":"ZachXBT exposé unmasks 200+ crypto influencers in paid promo scandal — AMBCrypto","type":"news_article","url":"https://ambcrypto.com/zachxbt-expose-unmasks-200-crypto-influencers-in-paid-promo-scandal/"},{"credibility":2,"name":"200+ Influencers Named in Paid Crypto Promotion Leak, Few Disclosed Ads — Blocmates","type":"news_article","url":"https://www.blocmates.com/news-posts/200-influencers-named-in-paid-crypto-promotion-leak-few-disclosed-ads"},{"credibility":2,"name":"ZachXBT Leak Reveals Fewer Than Five of 160+ Crypto Influencers Admit Paid Promotions — CCN","type":"news_article","url":"https://www.ccn.com/news/crypto/zachxbt-leak-crypto-influencers-paid-promotions/"},{"credibility":2,"name":"Secret $60K Crypto Posts Revealed in ZachXBT's Latest Transparency Bombshell — CoinLaw","type":"news_article","url":"https://coinlaw.io/zachxbt-crypto-influencer-promotion-scandal/"},{"credibility":2,"name":"ZachXBT Exposes 160 Crypto Influencers for Undisclosed Paid Promotions — CoinCentral","type":"news_article","url":"https://coincentral.com/zachxbt-exposes-160-crypto-influencers-for-undisclosed-paid-promotions/"},{"credibility":2,"name":"Over 200 crypto influencers exposed in undisclosed ad price sheet leak — Cryptopolitan","type":"news_article","url":"https://www.cryptopolitan.com/over-200-crypto-influencers-exposed/"},{"credibility":2,"name":"Cristiano Ronaldo Meme Coin Rumors Fuel $143 Million CR7 'Rug Pull' — Decrypt","type":"news_article","url":"https://decrypt.co/336671/cristiano-ronaldo-meme-coin-143-million-cr7-rug-pull"},{"credibility":2,"name":"CR7 Meme Coin Hits $5M Market Cap Then Dumps Following $143M Rug Pull — CoinGape","type":"news_article","url":"https://coingape.com/cr7-meme-coin-hits-5m-market-cap-then-dumps-following-143m-rug-pull/"},{"credibility":2,"name":"Crypto Sleuth ZachXBT Uncovers Undisclosed Payouts to Over 200 Influencers — Disruption Banking","type":"news_article","url":"https://www.disruptionbanking.com/2025/09/12/crypto-sleuth-zachxbt-uncovers-undisclosed-payouts-to-over-200-influencers/"},{"credibility":2,"name":"FTC Disclosure Checklist by Platform (2025 Update) — Influencer Marketing Hub","type":"other","url":"https://influencermarketinghub.com/ftc-disclosure-checklist-by-platform/"},{"credibility":3,"name":"Price of being a crypto influencer: Cash, scams, and damaged trust — Traders Union","type":"news_article","url":"https://tradersunion.com/news/editors-picks/show/484741-price-of-being-crypto-influencer/"}],"summary":"In early September 2025, on-chain investigator ZachXBT published a leaked rate sheet listing more than 200 crypto influencer accounts offered paid promotional deals, with Solana wallet addresses attached to each entry and per-post pricing ranging from $50 to $60,000. Of roughly 160 accounts that accepted payment, fewer than five disclosed their posts as advertising, representing a compliance rate below 3% against FTC and ASA disclosure standards. The incident exposed a systemic pattern of undisclosed paid promotion across crypto social media and has been cited in connection with influencer-driven promotional chains that preceded token collapses.","timeline":[{"date":"2025-08-25","event":"The CR7 token launched on Solana, falsely implying association with Cristiano Ronaldo. It reached a market cap of approximately $143 million before collapsing approximately 98% within roughly 15 minutes. Several influencers allegedly promoted the token and subsequently deleted posts.","source":"Decrypt","source_url":"https://decrypt.co/336671/cristiano-ronaldo-meme-coin-143-million-cr7-rug-pull"},{"date":"2025-09-01","event":"ZachXBT published on X a leaked spreadsheet listing 200+ crypto influencer accounts offered paid promotional deals, with per-post pricing ($50–$60,000) and Solana wallet addresses attached. He stated that fewer than 5 of roughly 160 accounts that accepted deals disclosed the posts as advertisements.","source":"The Block","source_url":"https://www.theblock.co/post/368956/zachxbt-says-over-100-crypto-influencers-accepted-promo-deals-without-disclosing-paid-ads"},{"date":"2025-09-02","event":"Multiple crypto news outlets including Bitcoinist, CoinCentral, AMBCrypto, Cryptopolitan, and Blocmates published coverage of the ZachXBT leak, naming specific accounts and pricing tiers.","source":"Bitcoinist","source_url":"https://bitcoinist.com/crypto-influencers-insane-hidden-payouts-exposed/"},{"date":"2025-09-12","event":"Disruption Banking published additional analysis of the leak, framing it within the broader KOL promotional ecosystem in crypto.","source":"Disruption Banking","source_url":"https://www.disruptionbanking.com/2025/09/12/crypto-sleuth-zachxbt-uncovers-undisclosed-payouts-to-over-200-influencers/"}]},"v":1}

   Verify offline (run on your own machine)

   python -m src.verify_decision ab7cd6c3-60b9-4d51-9b0d-08a78476a63dcopy