{
 "tag": "smart-contract-scam",
 "name": "Smart Contract Scam",
 "group": "Other",
 "incidents": [
  {
   "slug": "ai-video-mev-bot-tutorials-drainer-contracts-aug-2025",
   "title": "YouTube 'MEV bot' tutorials, some AI-generated, tricked users into deploying drainer contracts; $900K+ taken",
   "url": "https://drains.watch/i/ai-video-mev-bot-tutorials-drainer-contracts-aug-2025",
   "json": "https://drains.watch/i/ai-video-mev-bot-tutorials-drainer-contracts-aug-2025.json",
   "status": "closed",
   "severity": "high",
   "threatStatus": "active",
   "verification": "verified",
   "ai": {
    "role": "ai-lure",
    "note": "SentinelLABS says several tutorial videos appear to be AI-generated from audio and visual tells, though the most successful one (about $902,000 taken) does not appear to be."
   },
   "chains": [
    "ethereum"
   ],
   "method": "social-engineering",
   "product": "Ethereum users following YouTube 'MEV bot' tutorials",
   "tags": [
    "ethereum",
    "social-engineering",
    "mev-bot",
    "fake-trading-bot",
    "youtube",
    "remix",
    "smart-contract-scam",
    "ai-generated-video",
    "sentinelone",
    "ai"
   ],
   "amountUsd": 900000,
   "victims": null,
   "startedAt": "2025-08-05",
   "closedAt": "2025-08-05",
   "updatedAt": "2025-08-05T12:00:00Z",
   "summary": "SentinelLABS reported in August 2025 that scammers use YouTube tutorials to get people to deploy a 'free' Ethereum arbitrage bot contract through Remix, fund it with ETH and press Start. Hidden code sends the ETH to an attacker wallet, and the top attacker address alone received 244.9 ETH (about $902,000). The videos ran on aged channels with manipulated comments, and SentinelLABS says several appear to be AI-generated. Versions of the scam have run since at least early 2024 and were described as ongoing."
  }
 ],
 "changes": [
  {
   "incident": "ai-video-mev-bot-tutorials-drainer-contracts-aug-2025",
   "incidentTitle": "YouTube 'MEV bot' tutorials, some AI-generated, tricked users into deploying drainer contracts; $900K+ taken",
   "severity": "high",
   "status": "closed",
   "threatStatus": "active",
   "date": "2025-08-05",
   "title": "SentinelLABS' report (updated 5 August 2025) listed three attacker addresses and more than $900,000 taken.",
   "sourceUrl": "https://www.sentinelone.com/labs/smart-contract-scams-ethereum-drainers-pose-as-trading-bots-to-steal-crypto/",
   "url": "https://drains.watch/i/ai-video-mev-bot-tutorials-drainer-contracts-aug-2025"
  }
 ]
}