rct AI: AI-generated gaming + fake NFT issuance, outsourcing project abandoned upon receiving payment

Who Gets Targeted

Victims are primarily small and medium-sized game startup teams, indie developers, and novice investors looking to jump on the AI + Web3 bandwagon. Lacking comprehensive blockchain and AI technical backgrounds, they are easily swayed by high-fidelity demos, forged on-chain data, and 'industry giant endorsements.' Driven by the psychological fear of missing out on the metaverse trend ('occupy the space first, verify later'), they are willing to pay hundreds of thousands of yuan in outsourcing fees rather than conduct third-party technical due diligence. Operators who hold game licenses or user bases but lack technical capabilities are especially vulnerable to the 'AI contract manufacturer' guaranteed-profit pitch.

骗局怎么运作

• Packaging and Myth-making: Scammers build a seemingly professional 'AI-generated game engine' website featuring high-quality gameplay demos rendered in Unreal Engine, alongside an NFT whitepaper claiming partnerships with multiple overseas distribution channels. They use terminology like 'reinforcement learning (RL),' 'dynamic narrative,' and 'ERC-6551' in developer communities to build a technical barrier, misleading entrepreneurs into thinking they've met a genuine AI-native gaming partner.
• Precision Phishing: They scout for funded game companies through industry exhibitions, developer communities, and outsourcing platforms, approaching them with attractive terms such as 'no equity stake required, technical service fees only.' Sales staff push the narrative that 'we have a ready-made AI framework, you just need to provide character settings, and we can launch in 30 days,' sending forged Letters of Intent and backend screenshots of 'pre-order users' to trick targets into believing NFT quotas are scarce.
• Faking Issuance Volume: Scammers launch a rudimentary NFT pre-sale page, using backend scripts to automatically generate fake data like '80% sold' and 'almost sold out,' claiming the issuance exceeds 100,000 copies. If entrepreneurs ask to check on-chain data, they excuse it as 'B2B bulk underwriting' and provide only an aggregate wallet address whose transaction records are actually self-transfers and cannot be properly verified on a block explorer.
• Harvesting Outsourcing Fees: Upon entering the 'technical integration' stage, they collect exorbitant outsourcing fees under the guise of 'custom AI model training,' 'copyright licensing,' and 'on-chain gas fee pre-deposits,' typically demanding a 30% to 50% upfront deposit. Contracts intentionally omit delivery deadlines and acceptance criteria, and founders are made to sign non-disclosure agreements (NDAs) to prevent them from having external lawyers review contract details.
• Abandonment and Absconding: After collecting payments, scammers first deliver a batch of 'low-poly' assets pieced together from public resources along with an offline demo, then delay the launch under the pretext of 'server attacks' or 'regulatory halts.' When entrepreneurs demand refunds, customer service stalls for a settlement cycle using 'processing delays,' then dissolves social media accounts, changes domain names, and even routes collection accounts overseas, going completely off the grid once the capital chain breaks.

红旗信号（看到这些快跑）

• 🚩 Provides only pre-rendered videos and pitch decks while refusing to offer a real-time playable demo; demands an NDA be signed before showing source code, but provides no technical documentation prior to payment.
• 🚩 NFT issuance volume and pre-sale data cannot be verified on block explorers; all screenshots come from self-built backends, and some even show the same wallet address repeatedly transferring funds to itself to pump volume.
• 🚩 Contract amounts are significantly higher than market outsourcing averages and require payment in USDT or wire transfers to overseas shell accounts; the corporate entity was registered less than 3 months ago with a shared workspace registration address.
• 🚩 Intense urgency tactics used: 'Only one window week left,' 'Release is next Monday,' 'Quota is limited,' accompanied by demands that entrepreneurs not contact third parties for background checks.
• 🚩 The claimed founder never appears on camera, with all communication handled via Telegram or WeChat group voice chats; prominent partners claimed externally never appear on their official website, and they are unwilling to provide formal cooperation contracts.

真实案例

• In 2025, according to public reports, an entrepreneur spent 1,480 RMB to purchase AI avatar services from 'Qiyuan AI,' only to receive a simple script hosted on a Cambodian server that failed to deliver the advertised live-streaming and market-monitoring functions. The operators communicated solely via Telegram and subsequently went missing, with victims scattered nationwide. (Source: hdbq.cc)
• In 2025, 'Aqi AI' was exposed for collapsing, with its operating team reported to be the same group behind 'ARK Ark Realm.' ARK Ark Realm used metaverse and AI pretexts to lure investors with 30% annualized returns, involving a 20.0 billion capital pool; Aqi AI rebranded using the same playbook, and withdrawals are currently impossible, with victims in multiple regions filing police reports. (Source: cmnn.cc, cailu888.com)
• In 2025, an overseas syndicate impersonated financing news of AI unicorn VAST.AI, creating a fake official website and investment app to run a multi-level marketing capital pool under the guise of 'staking computing power for rebates,' scamming users across multiple regions. VAST.AI subsequently issued a statement disavowing the fraud, but some funds had already flowed overseas, making recovery difficult. (Source: pingpan.cc, paiu.cn)

Official Stance

• On July 14, 2025, China National Radio (CNR) published the report series 'Cloud Farming Series Report Part 1: Exposing the 'Metaverse Farm' Scam,' exposing how high-return agricultural projects wrapped in metaverse branding are actually fundraising scams, reminding the public to verify project credentials and remain vigilant against any 'guaranteed profit' promises. (Source: cnr.cn)
• In 2025, PlatON / Yunlian Technology officially issued a statement declaring that 'Zhilian Shuke' was impersonating its former name for capital pool fraud with zero legal relationship to the company, and reported the matter to public security authorities. (Source: yiwatian.com)
• In 2025, CCTV Finance exposed the pornography vulnerability on the LiblibAI platform, pointing out that the platform claimed AI-generated content yet lacked auditing mechanisms; it also highlighted regulatory gaps regarding AI-generated content, warning users not to blindly trust commercial promises of 'AI omnipotence.' (Source: yfchuhai.com)

How to Protect Yourself

• ✅ Before signing a contract, require the counterparty to provide on-chain contract addresses for at least 3 delivered projects, and verify NFT mint records and transaction counts on explorers like Etherscan; terminate contact immediately if they cannot or refuse to provide them.
• ✅ Insist on 'post-launch settlement + phased acceptance' for outsourcing fees, with contracts clearly outlining milestones: demo delivery, stress testing, and official launch each accounting for 20%; treat any clause requiring '40% upfront deposit to commence work' as a red flag, and retain all communication logs.
• ✅ Independent background checks: Verify company registration dates, shareholders, and judicial risks through corporate lookup tools, and demand a video call to inspect the office and servers; proactively contact claimed partners (such as publishers and engine providers) to confirm whether genuine cooperation emails exist.
• ✅ Resolutely decline any 'technical service fees' requested in USDT, cryptocurrency, or wire-transferred to overseas personal accounts; after making payments to corporate accounts, retain transfer receipts, report simultaneously to the National Anti-Fraud Center app, and consult a professional lawyer to draft a demand letter.