Rug Pull Definition | CoinMarketCap (2024)

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Rug Pull

A rug pull is a type of scam where developers abandon a project and take their investors' money.

What Is a Rug Pull?

The definition of a rug pull is a malicious maneuver in the cryptocurrency industry where crypto developers abandon a project and run away with investors’ funds. Rug pulls usually happen in the decentralized finance (DeFi) ecosystem, especially on decentralized exchanges (DEXs), where malicious individuals create a token and list it on a DEX, then pair it with a leading cryptocurrency like Ethereum.

Rug pulls thrive on DEXs because these types of exchanges allow users to list tokens for free and without audit, unlike in centralized cryptocurrency exchanges. Furthermore, creating tokens on open source blockchain protocols like Ethereum is easy and free. Malicious actors use these two factors to their advantage.

Note that decentralized exchanges such as Uniswap algorithmically determine the prices of tokens in a pool depending on the available balances. To ensure you don’t fall victim to a rug pull, check the liquidity in a pool. However, this is only the first step. You must also check if there is a lock on the token’s pool. Most reputable projects lock pooled liquidity for a certain period.

Another major characteristic of a possible rug pull is a coin skyrocketing in price within hours. For example, a rug pull coin can move from 0 to 50X within 24 hours. This trick is meant to drive FOMO that leads more people to invest in the token.

What Does Being Rug Pulled Mean?

The definition of being rug pulled is as such: the developers behind a project would extensively promote the launch of their new project, usually through crypto influencers, and typically make bold promises of 100X returns or more — targeting "investors" seeking quick riches.

Then, these developers would list their token and create a pool on decentralized exchanges like Uniswap or Pancakeswap, which allows anyone to do so.

Once a significant amount of unsuspecting investors swap their ETH for the listed token, the creators then withdraw everything from the liquidity pool, driving the coin's price to zero. The coin’s creators may even create a temporary hype around Telegram, Twitter, and other social media platforms and initially inject a substantial amount of liquidity into their pool to cultivate investor confidence.

Rug pulls may occur shortly after a project's launch, or it may play out over a longer period of time, extending the investors' misery.

What Is an NFT Rug Pull?

The definition of a non-fungible token (NFT) rug pull is similar to a typical rug pull on a DeFi project. In the case of a NFT rug pull, it typically involves a NFT collection, such as a profile picture (PFP) collection. During the pre-launch phase, the developers and creators behind the NFT collection would seek to attract early "minters" by excessively promoting it, usually on social media through crypto influencers. Many NFT collections also require users to get on the "whitelist" to be able to mint — further driving the exclusivity of the NFT collection.

Once the NFT project launches and users mint the collection — usually at a set price — the developers may transfer the funds out of the ecosystem and vanish, effectively executing a NFT rug pull. Creators may also wait for the NFT prices to rise to a certain level before siphoning all the funds from the community.

What Does an Unruggable Project Mean?

In order for a project to be deemed "unruggable," it means that there aren't a significant amount of tokens help by the development team. Without the signature large amount of team-held tokens that could be taken in a rug pull or exit scam, a project could be considered unruggable.

Another way to think about an unruggable project is if the team renounces ownership of any tokens, like tokens they would have acquired during a presale.

Rug Pull Definition | CoinMarketCap (2024)

FAQs

Rug Pull Definition | CoinMarketCap? ›

The definition of a rug pull is a malicious maneuver in the cryptocurrency industry where crypto developers abandon a project and run away with investors' funds.

What does rug pull mean? ›

A rug pull is a scam where a cryptocurrency or NFT developer hypes a project to attract investor money, only to suddenly shut down or disappear, taking investor assets with them. The name comes from the idiom “to pull the rug out” from under someone, leaving the victim off-balance and scrambling.

What are common signs of a rug pull? ›

Look out for these signs when you're considering buying a new token:
  • It's only listed on DEX and has few token holders. ...
  • Low liquidity. ...
  • Lacks background information. ...
  • Too much promotions. ...
  • Stick with what you know.

What is an example of a rug pull crypto? ›

Examples of notable rug pulls in cryptocurrency
  • Thodex Crypto Exchange. Thodex was a Turkish cryptocurrency exchange launched in 2017 by Faruk Fatih Ozer. ...
  • OneCoin. OneCoin represents one of the largest cryptocurrency-related Ponzi schemes in the history of the nascent industry. ...
  • Squid Game (SQUID) cryptocurrency. ...
  • AnubisDAO.
Nov 23, 2022

Is it illegal to rug pull crypto? ›

While crypto rug pulls are always unethical, they are not always illegal. Hard rug pulls, where developers code malicious backdoors into their tokens, are illegal. Soft rug pulls, where developers dump their crypto assets quickly, are unethical but not always illegal.

What causes rug pull? ›

Rug pulls happen when fraudulent developers create a new crypto token, pump up the price and then pull as much value out of them as possible before abandoning them as their price drops to zero. Rug pulls are a type of exit scam and a decentralized finance (DeFi) exploit.

Does a rug pull a room together? ›

"An area rug can absolutely make or break a room," said Melissa Lewis of LG Interiors in Chicago. "It solidifies furniture layouts and adds a layer of depth and warmth that truly ties a space together." "It's a central design object in the room," said Berlin-based designer Cäcilia Verweyen.

How long should a rug last you? ›

The typical lifespan of area rugs run anywhere from 5 to 10 years. The longevity will depend not only on your home's foot traffic, but also on how you maintain your rug.

How do you start a rug pull? ›

To create a rug pull scheme, malicious individuals create a worthless token and list it on a decentralized exchange (DEX), pairing it with a leading cryptocurrency such as Ether. They then conduct a marketing campaign to attract investors.

What is the biggest rugpull crypto? ›

The biggest crypto rug pulls and scams of all time

OneCoin – $4 billion stolen: This Ponzi scheme began in 2014 and lured investors in by promising high return rates with little or no risk.

How do you spot a rug pull token? ›

1. Look for hidden backdoors: Hard rug pulls involve malicious developers coding hidden backdoors into their token, so look out for these. 2. Check the liquidity pool: If all the coins in the liquidity pool have been withdrawn quickly, this could be a sign of a crypto rug pull.

What is the biggest rug pull in crypto? ›

Worst Rug-Pulls
  • OneCoin. The biggest cryptocurrency Ponzi scheme OneCoin, raised $4 billion and defrauded people of billions of dollars by promising investors returns on their crypto investments and pitching the company as a legitimate business. ...
  • Thodex. ...
  • AnubisDAO. ...
  • Squid Game (SQUID) Token. ...
  • Mutant Ape Planet (MAP) NFTs.
May 1, 2023

What happens after a Rugpull? ›

In cryptocurrency, a rug pull is when project developers abruptly and deliberately abandon a startup once they've secured the trust (read: tokenized funds) of their investors. These bad actors essentially take the money and run, leaving behind a worthless asset of their making.

Is a rug pull a pump and dump? ›

A "pump and dump" operation is a form of market manipulation where the price of a cryptocurrency is artificially inflated and, as it reaches a target, immediately dumped back into the market. Most times, unlike rug pulls, executing a pump and dump scheme requires little technical know-how.

What is a soft rug pull? ›

In contrast, a soft rug pull typically doesn't have code-level fraud. Instead, soft pulls tend to rely on marketing hype to falsely inflate a project's value, and then the project's founders shut it down and run away with the money. Regardless, the result of either type is investor losses.

What is a honeypot in crypto? ›

Honeypots are smart contracts that appear to have a design issue that allows an arbitrary user to drain Ether(Ethereum 's native currency)from the contract if the user sends a particular quantity of Ether to the contract beforehand.

How to buy totally a rug pull? ›

Check CoinMarketCap to see where you can buy Totally A Rug Pull and with which currencies. For each cryptocurrency, CoinMarketCap provides a list of purchasing options (also known as market pairs). Go to CoinMarketCap and search for Totally A Rug Pull.

Is Ethereum a rug pull? ›

It also reveals that a staggeringly high percentage of Ethereum and Binance Smart Chain tokens are programmed to steal from investors. 8% of Ethereum ERC-20 tokens are designed to pull the rug; 12% of Binance Smart Chain BEP-20 tokens are as well.

How are rug pulls not illegal? ›

Is an NFT rug pull illegal? NFT rug pull is always unethical but only sometimes illegal. Hard rug pulls are always illegal while soft rug pulls, in most cases, are only unethical, meaning the bad actors do not violate any legal rules.

How do you hold down rug edges? ›

Using rug tape is a simple and effective method to keep your corners down once they've started curling. All you need to do is apply tape to the corners of the rug and it will hold the corners down until the tape loses its stickiness.

Should a rug be centered on the bed or the room? ›

A rug's priority placement in a bedroom is always under and around the bed, as it grounds and centers the room's key feature. While rug placement in bedroom spaces varies by rug size, style, and preference, it's a good rule of thumb to ensure you have a couple feet of exposed flooring, no matter the rug.

Should you put rugs on hardwood floors? ›

Rugs protect your floors.

Daily life, along with heavy furniture, can cause permanent damage to your hardwood floors if you're not careful. So keep your floors in good shape by adding a rug! Rugs (plus a rug pad) will eliminate any potential damage a heavy piece of furniture can do.

Is it OK not to have a rug in the living room? ›

It's not essential to have an area rug in a living room, especially if it's a compact space or already carpeted. Area rugs provide the most benefit on hard flooring or in larger rooms. Even if it's not absolutely crucial to have an area rug in your living room, you might still want to consider it anyway.

How often should you wash your indoor rug? ›

Home » How Often Should I Clean My Rugs? As a general rule, most rugs should be cleaned every 12-18 months, but a variety of factors can make it a good idea to clean your rugs more often or less often than that. It all depends on the type of rugs you have, your lifestyle, and the elements your rugs are exposed to.

How often should you change your carpets? ›

While carpet has changed over the years, today, its lifespan is usually anywhere from 5 to 15 years. The length of time that a specific carpet lasts depends on the type of carpet, carpet cushion, carpet fibers, and wear and tear the carpet is exposed to.

Is it better for a rug to be too big or too small? ›

As mentioned before, bigger is almost always better. A few inches can make a world of a difference. If your rug is too small, not only will it make the room look smaller, but it will also make the room appear choppy. Going with a bigger size is worth every extra penny if you want your room to look flawless.

Can you write off rug pulls? ›

When facing major losses from theft, fraud, rug pulls, and the like, traders often hope that they will find a silver lining in the tax code: at least they can deduct the losses as casualties or thefts, right? Unfortunately, if you're a U.S. tax payer, the answer is no.

Is it hard to learn rug hooking? ›

Rug Hooking is a simple craft that you can easily teach yourself. I recommend a kit for beginners because you have everything you need to get started.

How do you rug hook for beginners? ›

Take a strip of wool and hold it underneath your pattern. Take your hook, holding it in your hand as you would a pencil. Put the hook through a hole in the burlap, wrap the wool around the hook on the underside of the burlap, and pull the end of the wool up through the hole.

Which crypto billionaire loses it all? ›

FTX CEO Sam Bankman-Fried saw nearly 94% of his personal wealth wiped out in a single day. FTX CEO Sam Bankman-Fried lost his billionaire status overnight as his personal wealth plummeted nearly 94 percent to $991.5 million in a single day.

What are the different types of rug pulls? ›

The three main types of rug pulls that occur in DeFi are as follows: liquidity theft, limiting selling orders, and dumping.

What is the most profitable crypto ever? ›

BTC has been one of the highest-profit cryptocurrencies, from a few cents to its record high of $68,000 in November 2021. In 2023, however, AiDoge ($AI) could easily yield you larger profits as it's in the early stage of its presale and sold at a lower price.

How common are rug pulls in crypto? ›

The researchers found that "90% of tokens using locking contracts tend to become a rug pull or a malicious token eventually."

What is a slow rug in crypto? ›

In short, a soft/slow rug pull is when the team behind a project disappears after the project mints. However, what sets a soft rug pull apart from a normal one is that the devs don't completely disappear.

Did Solana get rug pulled? ›

Solanart acknowledged the rug pull, pointing out that Civic had verified the project. It has come to our attention that the BDAC mint was a rug, we want to inform the community that we are deleting the collection from @SolanartNFT grid.

Is Solana a rug pull? ›

A rug pull is a type of exit scam in which developers, who typically remain anonymous, abruptly leave a project and run off with investors' money. This type of scam is all too common in the NFT space on both Ethereum , the leading blockchain network for NFT trading, and Solana.

What is the 3 largest cryptocurrency? ›

Largest cryptocurrencies by market cap
  1. Bitcoin (BTC) Price: $27,487. Market cap: $532 billion. ...
  2. Ethereum (ETH) Price: $1,837. Market cap: $226 billion. ...
  3. Tether (USDT) Price: $1.00. ...
  4. BNB (BNB) Price: $315.70. ...
  5. USD Coin (USDC) Price: $1.00. ...
  6. XRP (XRP) Price: $0.4273. ...
  7. Cardano (ADA) Price: $0.3712. ...
  8. Dogecoin (DOGE) Price: $0.07275.
4 days ago

Was Luna a Rugpull? ›

Join us on social networks. Tether (USDT) and Bitfinex chief technology officer Paolo Ardoino said that the Terra (LUNA) project was not intended to be a rug pull, but was simply “poorly designed.”

How do you tell if an NFT project is a rug pull? ›

Check the Project's Trading Volume

The trading volume of an NFT collection is another good indicator of whether the project is legit or a possible rug pull. If many users are trading NFTs from that collection, that's usually a good sign, as it points to a strong active community and high liquidity.

Is crypto scamming illegal? ›

The United States federal government makes illegal Bitcoin fraud as well. Federal laws in this area closely mirror Florida's statutes, but impose significantly harsher penalties. The SEC is increasingly cracking down on all crypto-related crimes, and charges are on the rise.

Is joining a pump-and-dump illegal? ›

Key Takeaways. Pump-and-dump is an illegal scheme to boost a stock's or security's price based on false, misleading, or greatly exaggerated statements. Pump-and-dump schemes usually target micro- and small-cap stocks. People found guilty of running pump-and-dump schemes are subject to heavy fines.

Why is pump-and-dump illegal? ›

Are Pump and Dumps Illegal? As discussed above, stock price manipulation using misleading information is a scam that often steals the victims' hard-earned money. Hence, it is considered illegal under various laws and acts.

Do pump and dumps still exist? ›

Pump-and-dump schemes were traditionally done through cold calling. But with the advent of the internet, this illegal practice has become even more prevalent.

What is an example of pull the rug? ›

to suddenly take away important support from someone: The school pulled the rug out from under the city soccer league when they asked them to pay for using their field.

Are hard rug pulls illegal? ›

Hard rug pulls, where developers code malicious backdoors into their tokens, are illegal. Soft rug pulls, where developers dump their crypto assets quickly, are unethical but not always illegal. However, fraudulent activities in the crypto industry, including rug pulls, can be challenging to track and prosecute.

Do jute rugs pull? ›

Jute rugs, like sisal and other natural fiber rugs, are notorious shedders. These rugs are all-natural, eco-friendly, and unique in texture and color, but you'll still find that they shed. Expect a few fibers in the rug to break from time to time.

Why is pump and dump illegal? ›

Are Pump and Dumps Illegal? As discussed above, stock price manipulation using misleading information is a scam that often steals the victims' hard-earned money. Hence, it is considered illegal under various laws and acts.

Is joining a pump and dump illegal? ›

Key Takeaways. Pump-and-dump is an illegal scheme to boost a stock's or security's price based on false, misleading, or greatly exaggerated statements. Pump-and-dump schemes usually target micro- and small-cap stocks. People found guilty of running pump-and-dump schemes are subject to heavy fines.

What is the biggest rug pull ever? ›

The biggest crypto rug pulls and scams of all time
  • OneCoin – $4 billion stolen: This Ponzi scheme began in 2014 and lured investors in by promising high return rates with little or no risk. ...
  • Africrypt – $3.6 billion stolen: In April 2021, the BTC pool of Africrypt, which was valued at $3.6 billion, disappeared.
May 12, 2023

Are rug pulls common? ›

Here, developers may exploit self-executing programs responsible for transaction verification by using nefarious code, literally writing traps into a project's programming. Gauging by the impact of investment fraud, rug pulls are quite common.

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