Understanding Rugpull in Cryptocurrency
19
In the volatile world of cryptocurrency, a rug pull is a malicious scam where developers of a new token abruptly abandon the project, taking investors' money with them. Imagine someone pulling a rug from under your feet while you're standing on it – that's the essence of a rug pull.
How Does Rugpull Scam Work ?
- Hype and Promotion: The developers create a new token and generate hype about it through social media, marketing campaigns, and promises of high returns. This attracts investors who buy into the project.
- Liquidity Pool: The developers pair the new token with a well-established cryptocurrency in a liquidity pool on a decentralized exchange (DEX). This creates the illusion of value and enables trading.
- Price Hike: With increased investor interest, the price of the token starts to rise rapidly. This further fuels FOMO (fear of missing out) and encourages more people to invest.
- The Rug Pull: At the peak of the price hike, the developers suddenly remove all the liquidity from the pool, essentially taking investors' money with them. This crashes the price of the token, leaving investors with worthless assets.
There are two main types of rug pulls:
- Liquidity Pull: As mentioned above, this involves stealing the liquidity from the pool.
- Dump and Run: The developers hold a large share of the tokens and secretly sell them when the price reaches its peak, crashing the market and leaving other investors stranded.
How to Protect From Rugpull Scams ?
- Do your research: Thoroughly research any new token before investing. Look for red flags like anonymous developers, unrealistic promises, and sudden price spikes.
- Check liquidity: Make sure the project has sufficient liquidity in the pool. A low liquidity pool makes it easier for a rug pull to occur.
- Beware of hype: Don't fall victim to FOMO or exaggerated marketing claims. If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.
- Invest cautiously: Only invest what you can afford to lose, and diversify your portfolio to minimize risk.