A crypto influencer has yet to publicly respond to accusations he used bots to manipulate his social media metrics and influence shortly after winning a "best content creator" award at a crypto event.

Accusations and Implications

The self-described detective known as "ZachXBT" accused the influencer who goes by "Professor Crypto" on X of using "thousands of bots" to "deceive people into thinking you have an influence."

He also implied the action could breach a United States Federal Trade Commission rule that "prohibits anyone from selling or buying fake indicators of social media influence, such as followers or views generated by a bot or hijacked account."

Silence from Professor Crypto

Professor Crypto has not responded publicly to the accusation but has removed several posts showing him collecting an award for "best content creator" at the DeGen Summit in Singapore on Sept. 17.

The DeGen Summit was a TOKEN2049 side event awarded "Key Opinion Leaders," or KOLs—people whose opinions sway a large group or industry. KOLs are most often established experts but can also usually be influencers.

Social Media Metrics in Question

More than 1.34 million are subscribed to Professor Crypto's YouTube channel, where he shares opinions and reviews on crypto exchanges, wallets, trending memecoins, and non-fungible token (NFT) projects.

His first YouTube video was in August 2018, indicating that he has been creating crypto content for at least six years.

Meanwhile, Professor Crypto's X account, shown to have been created in February 2018, has 132,000 followers but only posted 102 times, with the earliest post from the account made on Aug. 14.

Web3 investigator Pix further pointed out that only two posts came directly from Professor Crypto. "Who the hell is Professor Crypto???" asked NFT artist Matthew Varnell.

Industry Reactions

Meanwhile, other industry commentators claim they had never heard of Professor Crypto before he won the award.

"Who the hell is Professor Crypto???" asked NFT artist Matthew Varnell. "I have been here longer than the stars have burned, and I have precisely one mutual with this account (someone I added within the last week)," said Wildcat Labs co-founder Laurence Day.

Professor Crypto did not immediately respond to Cointelegraph's request for comment on the accusations.

Ongoing Investigation

The allegations have sparked a broader conversation about the authenticity of social media influence within the crypto community. Many are now calling for greater scrutiny and transparency from influencers. The unfolding drama continues to captivate the attention of crypto enthusiasts and skeptics alike.