When AI Gets Hijacked by Crypto Scammers: A Tale of Bad Decisions and Worse Tokens

Key Lowlights

  • Clawdbot-now Moltbot, because apparently rebranding fixes everything-got its GitHub and X accounts snatched by crypto scammers faster than a seagull stealing fries.
  • Fake tokens skyrocketed 129,000% in a day, proving once again that people will invest in anything if you slap a trendy name on it.
  • Developers must now navigate the thrilling new hobby of explaining to strangers that no, they are not secretly running a Ponzi scheme.

In what can only be described as a masterclass in digital misfortune, Clawdbot-excuse me, Moltbot-found itself in hot water after its founder, Peter Steinberger, discovered that crypto scammers had hijacked his accounts like unwanted houseguests who refuse to leave.

Steinberger, who clearly never asked to be dragged into the Wild West of crypto, took to X to plead with the internet’s most persistent grifters:

To all crypto folks:
Please stop pinging me, stop harassing me.
I will never do a coin.
Any project that lists me as coin owner is a SCAM.
No, I will not accept fees.
You are actively damaging the project.

– Peter Steinberger 🦞 (@steipete) January 27, 2026

Apparently, Anthropic forced him to rename his account, which, in the grand tradition of tech rebrands, only made things worse. Scammers immediately swooped in like vultures on roadkill, squatting on his old handles before he could even mourn the loss.

Steinberger’s desperate plea-“Do I have anyone from GitHub in my timeline who could help me get my account back?”-was met with the deafening silence of corporate customer service. Meanwhile, crypto enthusiasts, undeterred by reality, continued their relentless campaign of harassment.

Security Risks: Or, How Everyone Ignored the Obvious

As if stolen accounts weren’t enough, SlowMist discovered that Clawdbot’s security was about as robust as a screen door on a submarine. Hundreds of API keys and private chat logs were just… out there. Some accounts didn’t even require passwords, because who needs security when you have vibes?

Security researcher Jamieson O’Reilly chimed in with the understatement of the year: “The entire IPv4 internet gets scanned continuously.” Shocking. Meanwhile, some Clawdbot servers ran agents as root-because why lock the front door when you can just leave it wide open?

The fake token frenzy reached peak absurdity when one jumped 129,000% in a day, which, for context, is roughly the same trajectory as a bottle rocket launched into a fireworks factory.

Ozmen, co-founder of Voltagent, offered sage advice: “This happens to nearly every OSS project.” Translation: “Welcome to the internet, where success means attracting parasites.”

Crypto Scams: Now With Extra Stupidity

Clawdbot’s woes are just the latest in a long line of crypto-related disasters. South Korean prosecutors lost $48 million to a phishing scam because, apparently, storing passwords on USB drives seemed like a good idea at the time.

Another poor soul lost $500,000 in USDT after falling for an address poisoning attack-a scam so simple it’s basically the Nigerian prince email of crypto.

The moral of the story? If something seems too good to be true, it probably is. And if it involves crypto, it’s definitely a scam. Stay safe out there, folks.

Read More

2026-01-28 10:02