AI-Generated NFT Art Foundation Ponzi Scheme: Impersonating AI Unicorns to Issue Exclusive NFT Shares for Recruitment Rebates

Who Gets Targeted

Victims are primarily individuals aged 35 to 55 with some savings but a lack of blockchain common sense, as well as novice investors and retired seniors attracted by the AI trend narrative. Generally suffering from FOMO (fear of missing out), they are easily misled by high-concept packaging such as AI-generated visual images, exclusive NFT series, and celebrity-backed foundations, believing in promises of token-holding dividends and high annual returns. Once the project restricts withdrawals, they often continue to invest more capital and recruit peers due to sunk-cost psychology after already committing substantial principal, ultimately losing everything.

骗局怎么运作

• Impersonation and Brand Spoofing: The syndicate steals the names and logos of well-known AI unicorns, forging foundations, official websites, and whitepapers. They claim to launch AI-generated exclusive NFT art series, leveraging real financing news to create an endorsement effect. Common pitches include official partnerships, limited-time allocations, and insider pre-IPO shares, pressuring users into rapid deposits driven by panic and FOMO.
• Token and NFT Issuance for Fundraising: Through on-chain token or NFT projects, investors are required to purchase computing power shares, NFTs, or tokens using USDT or fiat currency, with promises of token-holding dividends, node staking, and foundation share dividends. Pitches emphasize mine-as-you-hold, staking yields, and exclusive seats, wrapping abstract tokens into scarce art assets.
• Hierarchical Recruitment Rebates: The project establishes direct referral rewards, node levels, and team performance metrics, using funds from latecomers to pay returns to early participants in a typical Ponzi fund recirculation. Pitches frame recruitment as community co-building and node promotion, stimulating investors to continuously bring in friends and family through tiered rankings and limited-time double rewards.
• AI Image Generation Value Masking: AI is used in bulk to generate NFT images and art series, artificially inflating the scarcity of each NFT to manufacture fake sell-out illusions, false trading volumes, and floor-price defense. Pitches claim that exclusive AI series prices are rising steadily, institutional holdings are locked, and secondary markets are about to list, guiding investors to believe the value support is real.
• Withdrawal Restrictions and Lock-up Liquidation: When incoming funds become insufficient to pay rebates, project operators restrict withdrawals and lock up funds under pretexts such as system upgrades, risk-control reviews, and unfreezing fees, demanding further deposits for unfreezing or simply shutting down the website and absconding. Pitches claim maintenance upgrades, security deposits, or tax payments are required, further draining trapped users.
• Rebranding Reincarnation Cycle: After a crash, the operating team repackages itself into a new foundation or AI computing power project, shifting to the next impersonation target and using compensation quotas for old members as bait to execute a secondary harvest. Pitches claim original data migration, a more compliant new ecosystem, and priority subscriptions for veteran users, extending the life cycle of the scam.

红旗信号（看到这些快跑）

• 🚩 Claims to be an AI project but features only AI-generated images and a whitepaper, with no disclosed real-world technical team, no open-source code, and no independent audits.
• 🚩 Promises guaranteed principal and returns such as token-holding dividends, fixed annual yields, or staking earnings, with return levels significantly higher than normal investments, such as 155% annualized.
• 🚩 Emphasizes direct referral rewards, node levels, and team performance, where higher recruitment yields higher returns, and capital flows to personal accounts or unknown wallets.
• 🚩 Withdrawals require reviews, security deposits, unfreezing fees, or taxes, and withdrawals are frequently suspended under the pretext of system upgrades.
• 🚩 Project names are highly similar to renowned AI companies, exchanges, or funds, but associations are denied by official statements, with vague website domains and registration locations.

真实案例

• According to public reports by review platforms, a syndicate impersonated VAST.AI, an AI unicorn that recently raised 1 billion US dollars, running a multi-level marketing (MLM) Ponzi scheme under the guise of AI computing power and blockchain, spreading across multiple regions and inducing investors to buy shares. Reports characterize the project as a spoofed fund-plate, warning investors not to trust so-called official partnership allocations.
• According to stock information network reports, Zhongchengming Quantitative AI Financial Wealth-Management Plate experienced full fund lock-ups, and Shenzhen Public Security has officially filed a case, with estimated cases involving over 300 million RMB. The project was packaged as AI quantitative wealth management, actually exhibiting withdrawal restrictions and lock-up characteristics, matching the harvest path of AI-trend fund schemes. (Source: [https://www.foshang.cc/article/8138.html](https://www.foshang.cc/article/8138.html))
• According to Shouma Alliance reports, Hezhong Yuanjing publicly claimed a 155% annualized yield, fabricated an AI intelligent computing center, and was investigated by police, with similar projects having completely collapsed; Scam Exposure Network also stated that the TGG-X project has been investigated by police and officially named, revealing the MLM essence of high-yield AI computing power schemes. (Source: [https://www.hdbq.cc/article/19513.html](https://www.hdbq.cc/article/19513.html))
• According to Panxun Network warnings, Yungu Xin rebranded after the collapse of Soushibaobao to execute a secondary harvest, using AI-generated images to defraud investors of their retirement savings, packaging fund schemes in the name of AI and repeatedly reusing veteran member data.
• According to a statement reprinted by NetEase, Moonshot AI (Kimi) issued a stern police report statement warning that individuals were impersonating friends' funds and old stock quotas for fraud, making AI unicorns a false financing traffic entry point, and advising investors to be vigilant against forged funds.
• According to analysis by law.aiying, the market capitalization of ELIZAOS and AI16Z tokens shrank by 97%, and the narrative of autonomous AI venture funds fell into United States securities law traps, demonstrating high volatility and compliance risks in AI fund narrative tokens. (Source: [https://law.aiying.cc/us/elizaos-ai16z-token-collapse-securities-law/](https://law.aiying.cc/us/elizaos-ai16z-token-collapse-securities-law/))
• The fake AI project Qiyuan AI absorbed funds through daily yield and USDT deposit models, shutting down and absconding in March 2026 with involved amounts exceeding 50 million RMB. The platform spread across multiple regions under the name of AI computing power, leaving investors with withdrawal difficulties and total losses, while so-called official partnership quotas were purely fabricated, and regulatory authorities urged vigilance against fake AI fund schemes. (Source: [https://chapan.cc/article/8503.html](https://chapan.cc/article/8503.html))
• In August 2026, project analysis websites disclosed that ARK Ark rebooted its harvest under the guise of Aqi AI after crashing at the end of 2025. The team had previously maliciously inflated tokens and dumped them to drain 26.26 million US dollars in liquidity, trapping 230,000 users. As of exposure, 43 involved personnel had been arrested, and the platform continued harvesting using AI ecosystem dividends and old asset mapping return baits. (Source: [https://xmfenxi.com/article/4860.html](https://xmfenxi.com/article/4860.html))

Official Stance

• Moonshot AI (Kimi) issued a stern police report statement warning that fraud involving impersonated friend funds and old stock quotas is rampant, and AI unicorns have degraded into false financing traffic entry points; see source reports for details.
• Shenzhen public security organs officially filed a case against the Zhongchengming Quantitative AI Financial Wealth-Management Plate, with estimated involvement exceeding 300 million RMB; public reports are available on stock information networks.
• Police filed a case against the Hezhong Yuanjing TGG-X project, and it has been officially named; Scam Exposure Network disclosed its fabrication of an AI intelligent computing center and 155% annualized features.
• Anti-fraud platforms issued risk warnings for Zhilian Shuke (a replica of the former Qulian Technology clone), pointing out that it is a rebranded fund scheme with the same substance in a new package, reminding investors not to enter the market.

How to Protect Yourself

• ✅ Verify Official Associations: Cross-check official company websites, official Weibo, and public financing information to verify whether the AI company genuinely has NFT foundation or token issuance plans; immediately cease deposits if officially denied or unannounced.
• ✅ Reject Guaranteed Principal and Returns: Do not trust promises of token-holding dividends, fixed annual yields, or staking earnings. Exercise high vigilance for annualized rates exceeding 6%, and treat 155% annualized returns as direct proof of a scam.
• ✅ Reject Recruitment Earnings: Do not participate in direct referral rewards, node levels, or team performance models, and do not develop downlines. Exit promptly and warn friends and family when encountering community co-building pitches.
• ✅ Protect Wallets and Transfers: Do not transfer USDT to unknown personal accounts or unverified wallets, and do not share private keys or seed phrases. Requirements to pay security deposits or unfreezing fees for withdrawals are clear scam signals.
• ✅ Preserve Evidence and Report to Police: Save whitepapers, transfer records, chat screenshots, and on-chain transaction hashes. Immediately stop topping up funds upon encountering withdrawal restrictions, and report cases to public security organs and anti-fraud platforms.