The state of crypto journalism today is troubling. Many media outlets – big and small – regularly publish articles promoting presale tokens and promising outrageous growth. Far too often, these claims are unrealistic at best, and at worst, they’re actively deceptive.
Recently, we investigated one such presale: Wall Street Pepe (WEPE). Our research uncovered numerous red flags that raised serious doubts about the legitimacy of the project. But rather than focus solely on WEPE, we want to show you the bigger picture – how certain “shilling articles” work and the manipulative tactics they use to lure investors into questionable presales.
This isn’t just about presales. It’s about the template these promotional pieces follow, no matter which coin they’re hyping. While experienced investors might see through these tactics, newcomers can easily get caught in the trap. Our goal is to help you recognize these manipulations and understand how they twist the truth.
All the examples below are pulled from actual articles – we’ll include sources alongside the quotes.
Table of Contents
A Closer Look at the Claims
“Wall Street Pepe ($WEPE) Raises $1.6 Million in a Week – Is This the Next Big Meme Coin?” (Financefeeds.com)
First, understand how presales operate: you pay upfront for tokens that will be distributed after the coin lists on an exchange. The price in these presales is often set by the developer and frequently increases in stages, incentivizing you to “buy now before it’s too late”, inducing FOMO.
$1.6 million might sound like a large sum. But in the context of established meme coins, it’s negligible. To break into the top 1,000 cryptocurrencies, a project needs a market capitalization of around $18 million. Popular meme coins like POPCAT, PNUT, FLOKI, or BONK are worth billions, and the leading meme coin, DOGE, sits at a market cap of around $57 billion.
Also, keep in mind that this $1.6 million could potentially include funds contributed by the project’s own developers to inflate the number. While we can’t say for certain that this happened, it’s an important scenario to consider before trusting headline numbers.
Unknown Experts, Unknown Community
“Some insiders believe a new name, Wall Street Pepe ($WEPE), could lead this next wave.” (Financefeeds.com)
“Plenty of experts point at WEPE as a potential 100x play. Some view it as a top contender for 2025.” (Financefeeds.com)
These quotes frequently appear in shilling articles: vague references to “insiders,” “experts,” and “influencers” predicting massive gains. But who are these insiders? How credible are their opinions? Without any verifiable sources, these claims are meaningless. This tactic is meant to appeal to authority – an authority that might not even exist.
Another subtle trick at play here is the attempt to create the illusion of community interest around the presale coin. The articles often imply that there’s already a buzz among traders, prompting you to believe that you’d be joining a thriving collective of eager investors. Take a moment and do a quick reality check: visit social media platforms like Twitter or Reddit and try to find any authentic discussion or user-generated content about the project.
More often than not, you’ll either come up empty or encounter a handful of clearly paid promotional posts rather than genuine engagement. The absence of a real, organic community is yet another red flag – if this coin were truly the next big thing, there’d likely be more than a handful of shills making noise about it.
Manipulative Comparisons
One common trick is to compare an obscure presale coin to a well-known, top-tier cryptocurrency:
“SHIB rose around 20% last week, and PEPE climbed 10%. Spot trade volume reached $3.5 billion in the last 24 hours… This could mean great news for fresh tokens like WEPE.” (Financefeeds.com)
This strategy suggests that since big players like SHIB or PEPE are soaring, a new unknown project must be next in line. This is a logical fallacy. Shilling articles often blend established giants with completely unknown, untested tokens to imply that both belong in the same league. They do this to make you feel you’re missing out if you don’t invest right now.
We’ve seen articles with titles like “Price Analysis of XRP, ADA, and [Presale Coin]” subtly trying to equate reputable altcoins with obscure newcomers. This blurring of the lines is designed to mislead inexperienced investors.
The Illusion of Audits and Security
The smart contract has been audited by a reputable Coinsult firm that found no vulnerabilities in it. (Bravenewcoin.com)
This claim sounds reassuring – but without identifying the auditors or providing a link to the actual report, the reader has no way to confirm the claim. In many cases, the term “audit” is thrown around as a marketing ploy rather than a genuine security measure, and the reputation of some audit firms is questionable.
Even if an audit exists, it’s crucial to examine it yourself. Some audits cover only a part of the project, and some reveal vulnerabilities that could be exploited later. For example, WEPE’s audit reveals an issue that could allow a rug pull in the future – something the promotional articles conveniently fail to highlight.
Unrealistic Expectations
“WEPE holders can also grow their portfolio by staking their tokens, currently offering an 822% APY…” (Crypto.news)
An 822% annual yield is not just high – it’s completely unrealistic. Established projects don’t offer such returns. When you see numbers like these, consider it a glaring red flag. They’re designed to trigger greed and FOMO (fear of missing out), prompting you to act impulsively rather than rationally. If it’s too good to be true, you should really consider the legitimacy of the project.
Final Thoughts
The crypto space is filled with opportunities, but it also has its fair share of traps. Shilling articles are a prominent example of how the truth can be distorted to manipulate readers into believing they’ve stumbled onto the “next big thing.” By learning to question vague authority figures, suspicious comparisons, “too good to be true” promises, and unverified claims of audits or security, you’ll be better equipped to navigate the crypto landscape safely.
In short: always do your own research, search for critical opinions, and remember that if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is. Don’t let these manipulative tactics fool you into making a decision you’ll regret later.
If you are interested in presale coins, check out our investigations of possible scams. Even when you’re not intending to invest in those particular coins – you’ll be able to notice repeating patterns and learn the tricks that suspicious presales use.
