ViruSs Chicken Scam ZUKI Coin: The Shocking Controversy Shaking Vietnam's Crypto Market

In 2021, ViruSs’s scam around the Zuki Moba project became a hot topic of debate within the Vietnamese cryptocurrency community. This event not only caused financial losses for thousands of investors but also left valuable lessons about the responsibility of KOLs in the crypto market.

ViruSs Entered Crypto: From Famous Streamer to Controversial KOL

Dang Tien Hoang, known as ViruSs, is a popular streamer and YouTuber in Vietnam with millions of followers on social media platforms. In mid-2021, ViruSs decided to expand his activities by entering the cryptocurrency space.

He joined the Zuki Moba project, an NFT game with its own currency called ZUKI. To make this transition, ViruSs closely partnered with KV Ventures, an investment fund he co-founded. With enormous influence from his fan community, ViruSs actively promoted the project on TikTok, YouTube, and other platforms.

Promotional Actions: When ZUKI Became the Center of Attention

During the investment suggestion phase, ViruSs continuously shared information about ZUKI when the coin’s price fluctuated between $0.2 and $0.3. His posts focused on growth potential and expected profitability. This attracted especially new investors (often called F0), who lacked practical experience in the market.

FOMO (Fear of Missing Out) quickly spread within the community. Thousands of users rushed to buy ZUKI based on the advice of a revered KOL, without conducting sufficient independent research on the project.

Turning Point: ZUKI Price Plummets

By the end of 2021, everything changed dramatically. The ZUKI price suddenly dropped sharply after ViruSs’s enthusiastic promotion. According to data from CoinMarketCap, ZUKI’s price fell to around $0.0879 — a decline of over 70% from its peak. The project’s market capitalization evaporated nearly $7 million in a short period.

The investment community began raising urgent questions: Did ViruSs manipulate the price (“pump and dump”) for personal gain? Or was this just natural market volatility? Trust in him quickly eroded across social media platforms.

Intense Controversy: When ‘Scamming’ Becomes the Focus

The escalation occurred when Tran Van Phuc (known as Zet Under), a prominent investor and administrator of the Phố Tài Chính community on Telegram, publicly criticized ViruSs. In a live comment, Zet Under wrote: “You’ve only been in the market for less than 3 months and you’re already scamming,” implying that ViruSs lacked experience and was manipulating prices.

Instead of remaining silent, ViruSs decided to respond. He posted three videos on YouTube explaining that he did not “pump” anyone and publicly criticized Zet Under for past financial scams. However, the mounting public pressure led ViruSs to delete all these videos afterward.

Deleting the videos only increased suspicion among the community. Many losing investors felt they had been deliberately scammed.

Unpredictable Consequences: When Investors Suffer Losses

On December 25, 2021, ViruSs officially announced his withdrawal from KV Ventures and ceased involvement in Zuki Moba-related disputes. He also reduced his crypto-related activities on social media, refocusing on streaming and content creation.

However, withdrawal was only part of the story. The Zuki Moba project and its ZUKI token continued to decline in popularity, leaving thousands of small investors with heavy losses. Many felt they had become victims of a well-organized scam campaign, whether ViruSs admitted it or not.

Lessons Learned: Overcoming FOMO and Scamming in Crypto

The ViruSs ZUKI scam sparked a profound debate about the social responsibility of KOLs in Vietnam’s crypto market. Experts like Nguyen Hoang Hung warned that setting specific prices without cautious advice could push investors into FOMO and lead to significant losses.

This incident also serves as a strong reminder to the entire community: do not blindly trust KOLs, no matter how famous they are. Instead, every investor should practice DYOR (Do Your Own Research).

When participating in the crypto market, ask yourself: Are these claims supported by sufficient evidence? Does the advisor have any vested interests? Is your strategy based on factual analysis or emotions? Only by doing so can investors protect themselves from potential scam campaigns and build a safer investment portfolio.