Hacking the hacker: unveiling BitBoy Crypto’s recent scandals

BitBoy Crypto, a.k.a Ben Armstrong, saw his Twitter account hacked, leading to an unusual anti-SEC token promotion spree.

This event sheds light on Armstrong’s tumultuous past, swirling with scams, controversies, and accusations, which have profoundly punctuated his public persona. Let’s take a deep dive into the saga of Armstrong’s crypto adventures and misadventures.

In the early hours of June 11, an uninvited guest infiltrated BitBoy’s Twitter sanctum. With a following surpassing 1 million, Armstrong is more than just another crypto enthusiast. He is a notable figure in the crypto ecosystem whose views influence millions.

A screenshot of BitBoy Crypto’s account allegedly being hacked | Source: crypto.news

The uninvited guest was no regular Twitter troll. He had a distinct agenda. The hacker’s onslaught consisted of banners featuring SEC Chair Gary Gansler in an unflattering light, accompanied by explicit language.

A screenshot of BitBoy Crypto’s account allegedly being hacked | Source: crypto.news

Amid the SEC’s relentless clampdown on crypto exchanges like Coinbase and Binance, the hacker encouraged users to obtain anti-SEC tokens to fight against Gansler’s influence over the crypto industry.

You might also like: SEC vs Coinbase and new lawsuit: history of the years-long battle

While Armstrong reassured followers that they were working to regain control of the account, the damage was already done.

Bitboy responds

In a recent YouTube video, BitBoy Crypto claimed that his Twitter account had been hacked. He alerted followers to the situation and issued a warning about a sham token being peddled through his compromised Twitter account.

Armstrong cautioned,

“They’ve used my account to basically put out a fake token. So if you go to my Twitter account, do not click on any links. It’s about the SEC. And while we certainly hate the SEC, I have nothing to do with this.”

BitBoy Crypto on the Twitter handle hack

Drawing parallels with the recent hacking of John Deaton from CryptoLaw, a prominent figure in the XRP community, he suggested it’s likely the work of the same hackers. The endgame, he highlighted, was a calculated effort to dupe people into clicking links and sending money.

Despite the setback, Armstrong exuded confidence, more worried about followers losing money than reclaiming his Twitter handle.

He told his audience:

“I don’t want people to lose money… I’m not worried at all about getting my Twitter account back or not. All the people that this has happened to in the last few weeks, they’ve got their accounts back. I’m really not concerned about that.”

BitBoy Crypto on the Twitter handle hack

Signaling his unflappable nature, he remarked, “I’m going to sleep like a baby. Okay? Sleep like a baby. And, hopefully, in the morning, it’ll be taken care of.”

Twitter responds back

As BitBoy Crypto’s ‘hacking’ news broke out, the Twitter community responded quickly. Their comments were punctuated with biting sarcasm, disbelief, and outright condemnation.

Spot the difference:

Biboy vs Bitboy hacker pic.twitter.com/rijZ4cbrNI

— hoeem (@crypthoem) June 11, 2023

Many users directly called out Ben Armstrong, BitBoy’s real-life persona, alleging fraudulent activities and demanding severe consequences.

One user tweeted in a tone of stark criticism, “this fraudster should be put behind bars and sentenced to life imprisonment.”

This fraudster should he put behind bars and sentenced to life imprisonment

— Mr. BoB (@Mrbobeth) June 11, 2023

Another user, alluding to the recent crash in alternative cryptocurrencies, wrote: “he must have lost a lot of money with that last alt crash. Now he needs to scam his followers back to break even.

He must have lost a lot of money with that last alt crash ?? ? Now he needs to scam his followers back to break even lol!

— FedExpress1 (@fedexpress1) June 11, 2023

Echoing the accusations of fraud and scam, another tweet read, “he hacked himself to launder people’s money, is what he should say.

He hacked himself to launder people’s money, is what he should say?

— Maikel (@MaikelKoning85) June 11, 2023

Overall, the Twitter community’s response to BitBoy crypto’s predicament was largely critical and unrelenting, with many users expressing distrust and skepticism about his claims.

This reaction reflects a more significant trend within the crypto community, where accountability, transparency, and ethics are demanded more than ever.

Armstrong’s past scams and controversies resurfaces

This isn’t BitBoy Crypto’s first tryst with controversy. His roller-coaster journey has been marked by potential scams, hazy dealings, and highly questionable ethics.

In May 2023, Armstrong caught the crypto community’s attention when he showed interest in BEN tokens, launched by a crypto enthusiast Ben.eth.

$BEN CONTRACT ADDRESS:

0x9bf1D7D63dD7a4ce167CF4866388226EEefa702E

CHART:https://t.co/1PW3Nz0hxL

TELEGRAM: https://t.co/MUL6d1K7xt

— ben.eth (@eth_ben) May 7, 2023

Although Armstrong claimed no direct involvement in its creation, he did admit to receiving an allocation. His enthusiasm caused the coin to surge over 300%, plummeting by about 200% soon after.

Accusations of a pump-and-dump scheme led Armstrong to commit to holding the tokens for at least six months. However, this promise was short-lived.

Just a week after his pledge, Armstrong dumped all his BEN token holdings, triggering uproar from the community. Despite the allegations, he maintained that he sold his tokens to fund a deal for the BEN Foundation. This incident led to significant price volatility, further tarnishing BitBoy Crypto’s reputation.

I committed to not selling any $BEN coins for 6 months. I’m still intentionally not locking those coins.

Why?

To piss off the haters who say I’m a grifter, scammer, dishonest & a P&D’er

Going to make them look dumb again

ETH Address: 0xf89e0b9fb3F419d5982386B5923e2F7C2e73f3a2

— Ben Armstrong (@Bitboy_Crypto) May 10, 2023

In another scandal, Armstrong, already under scrutiny for promoting fraud through FTX, failed to appear in court for a lawsuit hearing, despite being ordered by a federal judge.

Instead, he mocked the court order on social media, resulting in the case proceeding without him and his potential arrest warrant.

I am supposed to be in court today.

I’m not. Why?

Because I don’t give AF

RECKLESSNESS SPONSORED BY https://t.co/RtFomcGS5v pic.twitter.com/t9XqsNd6da

— Ben Armstrong (@Bitboy_Crypto) April 20, 2023

Is BitBoy behind BEN?

Speculations have been flying around concerning why BitBoy dumped the number of tokens.

BEN.ETH DUMPING ON BITBOY AND ANDREW TATE pic.twitter.com/XfPaN6kE9r

— beeple (@beeple) May 18, 2023

A Twitter user and crypto enthusiast indicated that Ben.ETH, the BEN token creator, dumped his tokens on BitBoy.

it took ben.eth 14 days to take over the world:

– launched $ben 14 days ago
– $2,000,000+ deal with bitboy
– raises $7,000,000 for his new token
– Elon Musk says $psyop on spaces
– Andrew Tate makes a video
– Beeple makes an everyday

This will be a Netflix documentary @eth_ben

— borovik.eth (@3orovik) May 18, 2023

Borovic.eth seemingly had a similar stance concerning this whole debacle. The user highlighted how fast the token apparently took over the crypto world, even attracting mentions from Bitboy and Andrew Tate.

Another crypto enthusiast, ThatCryptoNerd, tweeted that BitBoy was being paid for the promotions.

He sure made it look like it would be a great idea to buy. And tried to persuade people to buy. Time and time again it was false advertising and he was getting paid to do that. I don’t see why you have a problem with people calling him out on knowingly scamming people?

— ThatCrypt◎Nerd (@ThatCryptoNerd) May 14, 2023

He mentioned that BitBoy “made it look like it would be a great idea to buy… and tried to persuade people to buy.”

https://twitter.com/kloss_eth/status/1657886759647346688

Another user, Kloss.eth, also satirically highlighted how BitBoy’ manipulated markets’ through tons of videos of paid sponsors offering the x1000 promise.

Everyone who paid for the presale, is going to get dumped on by others who also bought the presale. Last one holding the bag is done

— 0x1ee7 (@0x1ee7) May 18, 2023

Another user named 0xee7 insinuated that the investors would suffer from dumping. The user warned that the biggest loser would be the last one holding the tokens.

Ben.eth is a Bitboy crypto paid operative ? the Ben token build was to raise on this other coins which is bAsicslly expected to fail. Easy 1-2 milli pay day for him

— Wizard Of SoHo (?,?) (@wizardofsoho) May 14, 2023

There have been several speculations that BitBoy is the main founder of the BEN token. Some claim that Ben.ETH is an operative for BitBoy.

Which top signal is worse?

Bitboy utilizing EVM to go from being paid to rug for others to directly rugging

OR

My mentally disabled friend on SSDI being issued a credit card (even though he overdraws his bank account monthly), & immediately maxed it out with no ability to pay https://t.co/cBxnKrz8Wr

— Halloween 2008 (@HalloweenIn2008) May 12, 2023

Another user, Halloween 2008, mentioned that BitBoy is now directly rugging. Another investor noted that investors must accept that Bitboy is behind Ben.

In general, the community is not buying the idea that BitBoy is still in the project for the long term. Instead, most feel that BitBoy is simply scamming investors.

Furious community

Following these events, there has been a rise in some major reactions from the crypto community, noting that Bitboy conducted some pump and dump. Some say BitBoy is a criminal. The recent events led investors to call for Bitboy’s dismissal as a speaker at the Bitcoin 2023 conference.

Known criminal scammers like Bitboy absolutely should be blacklisted from Bitcoin conferences. Should not be allowed on the property. https://t.co/DtCE5sJBkq

— Cory Klippsten ?️ Swan.com ? #Bitcoin (@coryklippsten) May 19, 2023

One user publicly called Bitboy a criminal and noted that he should be banned from the property.

must be backing out of the deal. never should’ve made that commitment publicly before doing due diligence. trapped himself like an idiot

— TSF ⛳️ (@topshotfund) May 17, 2023

Others called on the idiocy of Bitboy for entering a deal without due diligence.

Whalechart was among those who flagged the sale of Bitboy’s tokens. Under Whalecharts’ tweets, there was a barrage of angry responses from the community.

A user called Hector noted that by not sticking to his original word, Bitboy has proven untrustworthy and will likely not stick to other words about the coin.

Nope. This is typical rugpull.
This crap should be stopped.
He is his own worst enemy.
Horrible character.
He criticizes the SEC then he does precisely what the SEC should be kicking his butt for!
Sick.

— Afshine Emrani MD FACC (@afshineemrani) May 18, 2023

Another user @afshineemrani called the entire event a “typical rug pull.” The user mentioned that BitBoy criticizes the SEC but is still doing the bad stuff the regulator should sue him for.

? Cause the scammers gonna scam, scam, scam, scam, scam.

And the grifters gonna grift, grift, grift, grift. ?

— Seize ? (@SeizeTheMonkey) May 17, 2023

Another user addressed the recent events in a comedic and musical way. There have also been calls for the law to take charge.

Where do we go from here?

The crypto ecosystem is a dynamic, fast-paced world with opportunities and pitfalls everywhere. But amid all the chaos and confusion, one thing remains clear: integrity matters.

As the BitBoy Crypto saga unfolds, it serves as a sobering lesson for investors and influencers alike.

For investors, it’s a reminder to exercise diligence and caution, never blindly trusting the advice of self-proclaimed experts.

For influencers, it’s a wake-up call, highlighting the importance of transparency and ethical behavior.

After all, the power of crypto doesn’t just lie in its potential to redefine finance – it also resides in its ability to foster a community grounded in trust, respect, and mutual benefit.

So as we navigate the uncharted waters of the crypto sea, let’s remember to stay vigilant, question the status quo, and, above all, uphold the highest standards of integrity. It’s not just about safeguarding our investments – it’s about preserving the values that make the crypto community unique.

In the end, the story of BitBoy Crypto isn’t just about one man’s rise and fall. It reflects the broader crypto world, with all its potential and pitfalls. And it’s a reminder that even in the most decentralized spaces, accountability, ethics, and respect for the rule of law still matter.

Read more: Leveraged crypto trading in 2023: strategies, risks and market impact

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