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Fake AI crypto trading bots: the "deploy this contract and fund it" scam

Videos that show you how to copy a smart contract into Remix, deploy it and send it ETH are a common crypto scam. Here is the pattern, the tell-tale contradiction, and how to check.

Updated 24 October 20264 min readBy Before It Rugs

A very common crypto scam is dressed up as a free tutorial. A video says an AI helped build a trading bot, that it has been earning money while the creator sleeps, and that you can copy it in ten minutes. The steps are nearly always the same: open a browser-based code editor such as Remix, paste in a contract from the description, compile it, deploy it from your wallet, then send it 0.5 to 2 ETH "so the bot has liquidity to trade with". Then you press a button and wait for the profits.

This guide explains why that pattern is dangerous, what to look for, and what to do if you have already tried one. It describes a pattern, not any one person. We are not accusing a named creator of anything.

The pitch

  • "AI built it and I did not write any code."
  • "Arbitrage" or "front-running" or "MEV" on Uniswap or Sushiswap, with a screen showing a balance going up.
  • "Flash loans mean you cannot lose money."
  • A source-code link in the description, often with "it is open source, audit it if you like".
  • A disclaimer that it is for education only, then a request to like, subscribe and join a community.

The contradiction that gives it away

Flash loans are real. They let a contract borrow a large amount, use it and repay it inside one transaction, and the whole thing reverses if it cannot repay. That is exactly why a real flash loan arbitrage needs none of your money. It borrows what it needs.

So when the same video also tells you to deposit 1 to 2 ETH, or "30 plus ETH" for the creator's own setup, the explanation and the instructions do not fit together. Our read: if a bot claims it cannot lose your money and then asks you to send it money, treat it as a scam until proven otherwise.

How the money is usually lost

We have not audited the code in any particular video. The usual ways this type of contract steals are:

  • A hidden recipient. The code contains a function, often with a plain-looking name, that sends the contract's whole balance to an address the author controls. The "verify" step in the video checks something harmless, such as that you own the contract, to make it feel secure.
  • A withdraw button that does nothing. The button runs but fails, or pays out only a small fake "profit" first to build trust.
  • A scrambled address. The wallet address that receives funds is built from encoded pieces so it does not read as an address when you skim the code.
  • A fake balance. The video shows a balance climbing, which is easy to stage with a test network or an edited screen. The blockchain only shows what happened, and the clip is not the blockchain.

Whatever the exact method, once ETH is sent to a contract that someone else can pull funds from, a blockchain transaction cannot be undone.

Check it yourself before you touch anything

  1. Ask who gets paid if you follow the steps. If the creator sells a course, a community or "my own DeFi project" afterwards, the video is advertising.
  2. Never paste code you cannot read. If you cannot say what every function does, do not deploy it from a wallet that holds money.
  3. Look for any function that sends the contract's balance to a fixed address. Search the code for transfer, call and selfdestruct. If you are not sure, do not run it.
  4. Never send funds to a contract you deployed from someone else's code. Test with a throwaway wallet that holds nothing you would miss.
  5. Check the claim about results. A real strategy shows transactions you can open on a block explorer from a wallet you can identify. A screen recording is not proof.
  6. Never share a seed phrase or sign an approval you do not understand. See wallet safety.

If you already sent money

  • Stop sending more. Scammers often ask you to "top up" to unlock withdrawals.
  • Move whatever remains in that wallet to a fresh one, and revoke token approvals. Our guide to revoking approvals covers Solana; on Ethereum use a tool such as Revoke.cash.
  • Save the video link, the contract address and the transaction hashes.
  • Report it to Action Fraud (UK) and to the platform that hosts the video. Be wary of "recovery services" that contact you afterwards. They are a second scam.

Why this matters for memecoin traders too

The same trick turns up around memecoins: a "sniper bot" or "copy-trading bot" you have to fund, or a "bundler" tool you connect your wallet to. The rule is the same. Anything that asks you to send it money or sign broad permissions before it has done anything is the risk. This guide is information, not financial advice.

Not financial advice. This guide explains how things work. It is not a recommendation to buy, sell or hold anything. Memecoins are extremely high risk and most go to zero.

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