X’s Grok chatbot declined to pick a winner for a $1,000 Ethereum giveaway organized by crypto influencer Crypto Rover, citing prior allegations of pump-and-dump exercise detailed by on-chain investigator ZachXBT.
In replies to customers collaborating within the weekend contest, Grok said it was abstaining from selecting a winner attributable to “substantiated studies” implicating Rover in schemes that would compromise neighborhood security.
The messages at the moment are unavailable however circulated in screenshots displaying Grok referencing ZachXBT’s findings and calling for warning. The interplay stemmed from a routine promotional giveaway through which Rover, who posts beneath @rovercrc and has over 1 million followers, invited customers to love, repost, and observe his account for an opportunity to win the prize.
As ZachXBT reported, the allegations heart on a undertaking Rover was contracted to advertise in Could 2023. The deal included a $10,000 cost, a proportion of the undertaking’s token provide.
In line with the investigation, Rover made no promotional posts as agreed and later claimed he would delay content material till “higher market situations,” whereas threatening authorized motion in opposition to the undertaking’s group for trying to name him out.
ZachXBT linked Rover’s pockets exercise to subsequent token gross sales, producing roughly 40 ETH in earnings. The funds have been routed to a recognized Bybit deposit tackle beforehand related to Rover.
The probe additionally recognized 10 contemporary wallets tied to the identical promotional interval that amassed 9 % of the token’s provide shortly earlier than Rover posted in regards to the asset. The undertaking group behind the meme coin ceased communications shortly after, with no additional updates past Could 2023. In earlier posts, Rover reportedly said he may “pump initiatives from half one million to 10 million straightforward,” a comment ZachXBT highlighted as a part of a broader sample of manipulative conduct.
Rover didn’t publicly tackle Grok’s particular resolution and has continued to tag Grok for his subsequent giveaway.
Not all of Grok’s responses refused to interact with Crypto Rover. Many replies to Crypto Rover and his followers affirmed that the bot would choose a winner for the giveaway. Nonetheless, per the newest posts, none was chosen by the bot.
Grok, developed by xAI, has beforehand drawn scrutiny for its erratic output, together with unverified claims and inflammatory responses, although its creators place it as a “maximally truth-seeking” assistant.
ZachXBT’s forensic investigations have grow to be a fixture in crypto accountability circles, with earlier work cited in regulation enforcement actions and asset recoveries totaling over US $210 million, per a 2024 Wired profile.
