See more like this on Google
Share article
Share article
The oldest trick in crypto still prints: promise a Binance listing, collect a "facilitation fee", vanish. Changpeng Zhao (CZ), founder of Binance, spent part of Wednesday cutting through the noise with a blunt warning aimed squarely at founders, BD teams, and anyone desperate for liquidity.
CZ wrote earlier today that "anyone who claims to be able to help you list your project on Binance (CEX) is a SCAMMER", calling out a specific social-engineering angle: impostors who say they "know CZ" or are a "good friend" of his. He added that "99.999% of the time" he does not know these intermediaries, and said that if he does know them, he will "put them on a blacklist", closing with Binance's long-running safety mantra: "Stay SAFU".
The message matters because exchange listings remain one of the most valuable chokepoints in the market. A credible centralised exchange listing can change a token's liquidity profile overnight, and that desperation creates a predictable attack surface. Scammers exploit it with impersonation, fake "listing desks", Telegram deal rooms, and forged email domains that look just legitimate enough to rush a team into paying "due diligence" costs or "market making" retainers.
CZ's phrasing also serves as a governance signal: Binance wants to be seen drawing a hard line between official listing processes and informal influence networks. By threatening blacklisting even for real acquaintances attempting to broker access, CZ is effectively telling projects that any backchannel approach is not just risky, it is disqualifying. For teams, that turns "we can get you in" pitches from a tempting shortcut into a potential own goal.
There were no notable substantive community replies attached to the post, and the tweet itself was positioned as a security notice rather than a market catalyst. Still, it lands at a time when phishing and impersonation campaigns are increasingly targeted at founders, especially around funding announcements, token launches, and sudden spikes in attention.
Enjoy articles without ads?
Register for free and get unlimited access to all articles.
What to watch next
- Binance's official listing touchpoints: whether Binance reiterates, or tightens, the documented intake process and verified communication channels.
- Impersonation patterns: spikes in fake "Binance listing" accounts, lookalike domains, and paid-intro brokers targeting newly funded teams.
- Project-side hygiene: whether teams publicly disclose attempted listing shakedowns, which can help others map active scam networks.
- Enforcement signals: any follow-up from CZ or Binance about actual blacklisting actions tied to listing influence peddling.
Tags
Original tweet
