CZ warns that fake images are manipulating crypto market sentiment. How can users avoid new scam traps?

CZ issues a warning, stating that multiple fake images have appeared online, used by malicious actors to incite panic and commit scams. He pointed out that some accounts leverage false photos to deliberately create the illusion of a close relationship with CZ, misleading investors into making incorrect judgments about certain projects or tokens.

CZ gave an example of an account with over 860,000 followers that posted a photo seemingly taken at a BNB Chain event, showing him in a selfie with him and claiming to have met him in person. However, upon verification, he found that the image was clearly edited, with the background taken from a banner at a real event in South Korea, while the people in the photo had been spliced and replaced. CZ also noted that the clothing colors in the photo did not match any of his, and he has never taken a similar selfie on stage.

Later, he saw an even more distorted version: the foreground figure was clear, but he himself appeared blurry, with obvious signs of compositing. CZ shared the original photo, explaining that it was actually a picture of him with the CEO of another project, maliciously altered to create a false narrative. He stated outright that such behavior is at least dishonest and may be part of a scam chain.

CZ used this as a reminder to the community not to trust “screenshot evidence” or so-called celebrity endorsements on social media. Taking a photo with him does not imply support for a project. Even if he has held certain tokens or communicated with project teams, it does not mean he endorses the price. He emphasized that platforms and BNB Chain still welcome genuine, rational criticism, and that the goal is to combat false information and malicious misdirection.

This incident also highlights the new risks brought by artificial intelligence and image editing tools. Fake images are now harder to distinguish and can be easily used in the crypto market to spread FUD or build false trust. CZ urges users to verify sources, stay rational, and not make investment decisions based solely on a “seemingly real” image. In the crypto world, seeing is not always believing.