CZ uncovered a long-running faux account utilizing AI-generated pictures to pose as a Binance supporter earlier than spreading BNB-related FUD.
Changpeng “CZ” Zhao, the founding father of Binance, has publicly recognized and dismantled a coordinated misinformation marketing campaign in opposition to him and the trade.
CZ uncovered a long-running faux account that apparently used AI-generated pictures to pose as a loyal supporter earlier than posting essential “suggestions.”
The Unraveling of a Faux Supporter
The incident started when CZ noticed a submit from an account named “Wei 威 BNB” claiming to shut a Binance account attributable to alleged manipulation. The account had 863,000 followers and used imagery from a BNB Chain occasion, making it seem respectable.
Nevertheless, the previous Binance CEO stated that considerations concerning the account’s veracity emerged after some shut inspection. For starters, the account, which had blocked him, had posted a number of pictures purportedly that includes Zhao posing with the person, all of which appeared altered.
One picture confirmed Zhao carrying a shirt in a coloration he stated he doesn’t personal, whereas one other blended low-resolution pictures of him and Binance govt Yi He with a sharper picture of the account holder. CZ claimed the unique picture featured Aster CEO Leonard.
He additionally claimed the account historical past prompt it both modified fingers or was compromised years in the past. The account’s historical past exhibits it initially belonged to a girl and posted completely feminine images till July 2015, when it abruptly switched to crypto-only content material with out eradicating earlier materials.
“Both a hacked takeover or purchased,” CZ wrote.
He criticized the marketing campaign as “lazy” and prompt it was probably orchestrated by a “self-perceived” competitor extra centered on Binance than its personal enterprise.
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Influencer ShirleyXBT additionally famous the account’s profile image was a man-made copy of her personal picture.
Neighborhood Backing and a Sample of Scrutiny
The publicity drew some assist from the crypto group, with World of Dypians CEO Teki thanking CZ for the clarification and admitting the preliminary submit had briefly appeared plausible.
Commentator Vegas offered a broader evaluation, suggesting attackers fall into three classes: opportunists farming engagement, genuinely annoyed merchants, and arranged FUD campaigns. In addition they claimed to have been supplied cost to unfold destructive sentiment about Binance, implying attainable coordination by giant market gamers or direct rivals.
This newest revelation has come amid sustained scrutiny of CZ and Binance. On January 28, the crypto entrepreneur confronted backlash for allegedly selling dangerous market conduct after he advocated a buy-and-hold funding technique, forcing him to clarify that his recommendation was private and didn’t apply to each token.
Moreover, on January 30, Binance introduced it might convert the $1 billion in its SAFU insurance coverage fund from stablecoins again into Bitcoin, a transfer some commentators considered as a bullish sign however which additionally stored concentrate on the trade’s monetary methods.
Regardless of the criticism, Binance’s market place continues to be fairly robust, with knowledge shared by CryptoQuant at first of the 12 months showing the trade captured 41% of spot buying and selling quantity and 42% of Bitcoin perpetual futures quantity amongst top-tier platforms in 2025.
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