In 2024, Dubai-based investor and promoter Sahil Arora executed a series of high-profile token schemes involving celebrities. Leveraging his extensive Instagram following and connections, Arora reportedly generated substantial profits through what is commonly known as pump-and-dump schemes.
The Strategy Behind the Success
According to reports, Arora issued tokens tied to well-known figures such as Caitlyn Jenner, Floyd Mayweather, Amber Rose, Sunny Leone, and Iggy Azalea. Using a platform called Pump Fun, he orchestrated a campaign that included direct messages to celebrities, offering them significant payments in exchange for promoting the token. The core of Arora's scheme involved manipulating the token's price through hype and celebrity endorsements. Once the token was launched and its price was artificially inflated through celebrity tweets, Arora, who held a substantial portion of the token’s supply, sold off his holdings. This rapid selling, often executed immediately after the promotional push, caused the token’s value to plummet, leaving other investors with worthless assets. Bubblemaps has traced over 40 crypto addresses associated with Arora. These addresses were used to manage and manipulate the token supply. Typically, Arora held between 25-40% of the token’s total supply in various addresses. After the token launch, he consolidated these holdings and moved the proceeds to a main wallet, identified as 7Ci23i82. Funds were then regularly transferred to centralized exchanges.
Financial Gains and Discrepancies
Arora’s methods were lucrative. Reports from Bubblemaps indicate that he earned around $30 million through these schemes in 2024. However, independent blockchain sleuth ZachXBT disputes this figure, suggesting a more modest profit of between $2 and $3 million. > 'Sorry the math for this seems incorrect there is no way Sahil made $26M check the liquidity on these coins. Would estimate he made <$5M at most and likely only $2-3M.' - ZachXBT The breakdown of earnings shows considerable monthly fluctuations: $3 million in January, $1.8 million in February, $3.2 million in March, $2.5 million in April, $4.8 million in May, $2.5 million in June, $2 million in July, and a staggering $6.6 million in August. However, an error that involved incorrectly attributing a Poloniex wallet address to Arora led to the inflated figures reported by Bubblemaps.
Celebrities and Legal Issues
Celebrities involved in these schemes often face scrutiny and legal issues. While some promote tokens for financial gain, the true value and legitimacy of these projects are frequently questionable.
Sahil Arora's token schemes have brought attention to the issues of market manipulation and the ethics of using celebrities to promote such projects. Investigations are ongoing, and the future will reveal how regulation in this area will change.
Comments