Rug Pull
別名: Rug, Exit Scam
A crypto scam where project developers abandon a project and run away with investor funds, often by draining liquidity pools.
A rug pull is a type of cryptocurrency scam where the creators of a project suddenly abandon it and run away with investors' funds. The term comes from the phrase "pulling the rug out from under someone." Rug pulls are one of the most common scams in DeFi and new token launches.
Types of Rug Pulls:
Hard Rug Pull (Outright Theft): - Developers drain liquidity pool - Contract has hidden backdoors - Minting unlimited tokens - Disabling sell function - Usually immediate and total
Soft Rug Pull (Gradual Exit): - Developers slowly sell team tokens - Project abandoned over time - No technical exploit - Harder to prove as scam
Common Rug Pull Techniques:
| Method | How It Works |
|---|---|
| Liquidity removal | Creator removes all LP tokens |
| Honeypot | Users can buy but not sell |
| Mint function | Dev creates unlimited tokens |
| Hidden fees | 99% sell tax activated |
| Fake team | Anonymous or stolen identities |
Red Flags: - Anonymous or unverifiable team - Liquidity not locked - No contract audit - Unrealistic promises (1000x guaranteed) - Aggressive shilling, FOMO tactics - No product, just hype - Contract not verified on explorer - Only team can sell
Protection Strategies: 1. Check if liquidity is locked (and for how long) 2. Verify contract on block explorer 3. Look for audit from reputable firm 4. Research team backgrounds 5. Check holder distribution 6. Use tools like TokenSniffer, RugDoc
Notable Rug Pulls: - Squid Game token ($3.3M, 2021) - AnubisDAO ($60M, 2021) - Hundreds of meme coins daily