Chainstory research reveals signs of scams in most crypto press releases - ForkLog: cryptocurrencies, AI, singularity, the future

# Chainstory research uncovers signs of scam in most crypto press releases

Suspicious projects use press release distribution services to create the appearance of legitimacy. This conclusion was reached by Chainstory analysts.

Researchers examined 2,893 materials released from June to November 2025. It was found that over 60% of the releases promoted platforms with “classic red flags”:

• anonymous team;
• exaggerated promises;
• template websites;
• aggressive marketing.

Some of them turned out to be outright scams already listed on blacklists.

Crypto-focused press services often guarantee placement on dozens of sites with minimal moderation, experts emphasized. Such paid publications appear with real news, sometimes without clear labeling, making it difficult for readers to distinguish advertising from editorial content.

“If you come across a crypto press release on a news site, the chances that the project behind it has low credibility (or worse) exceed 50/50,” — researchers noted.

The vast majority of the 700 analyzed press releases turned out to be advertisements about minor updates, token sales, or listings.

Only about 2% of the materials contained truly significant news, such as venture rounds or merger and acquisition deals.

Thus, dubious projects imitate widespread media presence.

Illusion of Legitimacy

Researchers see the root of the problem in the business model of content distributors. Projects with signs of scams — anonymous DeFi schemes, “free” cloud mining, or aggressive token sales — do not pass the editorial filters of quality media.

Their solution is paid crypto press services that publish unverified releases on partner sites.

The scheme works as follows:

• to attract journalists’ attention, projects pay for automatic publication. Fact-checking is absent;
• links to well-known resources (e.g., Yahoo Finance) are used as a “quality mark” for investors. This creates a false sense of trust;
• texts are filled with trending terms (AI, Web3, RWA) to create the image of an innovative startup.

For example, in 2024, projects InfinityStakeChain and FlexyStakes distributed releases through such services, claiming to have raised $12 million from Binance and partnered with Polygon and Fantom. These materials appeared on Yahoo Finance and regional news portals.

Bloomberg investigation revealed that all claims were false, and the mentioned companies denied any connection to the startups. However, before being exposed, these publications were successfully used to attract funds from trusting investors.

Major players also use similar tactics. Exchanges regularly send out releases about each new listing, creating a sense of constant activity, which blurs the line between reporting and promotion.

“The main mechanism of the crypto press release industry is ‘riding on someone else’s coattails.’ By distributing content through syndication networks, issuers avoid the ‘newsworthiness’ filter of editors and instead rely on the reputation of the distribution platform,” — the study states.

Recall that in January, CoinGecko analysts recorded a record “death rate” of tokens in 2025.