The Grifty Gang: Meet CryptoChad

If a man wearing gold chains, flexing in front of a Lamborghini, and preaching financial freedom via something called “Griftcoin” tells you to invest your life savings… perhaps pause before selling your left kidney. 

In episode two of The Grifty Gang, we meet CryptoChad, a stereotypical crypto-bro who claims to offer liberation from the "wage cage." His gospel is a shiny new crypto token promising millionaire status without so much as lifting a finger. Just don’t ask for audited statements, unless you want to believe a llama in a bow-tie. 

🎬Watch Episode 2 here

This parody might seem absurd. That’s the point.

We’re living in the golden age of the hustle grift. Just scroll through Instagram or TikTok and you will find influencers telling you about how to: “Escape the 9-to-5,” “Become your own boss,” or “Invest now or stay broke forever.” It’s a seductive narrative, especially in a world where financial insecurity is the norm and inequality is systemic. The grift thrives on desperation, masked as opportunity.

CryptoChad’s not just a cartoon, he’s a composite of real influencers who weaponise aspiration to drive clicks, sell coins, and when it all collapses, they disappear with your cash and an offshore exit plan. 

At the Campaign On Digital Ethics (CODE), we launched The Grifty Gang to strip the glamour from these modern con artists. Through satire, we want people to see the mechanics of manipulation for what they are: smoke, mirrors, and algorithmic amplification. 

If we want to build a digital world grounded in ethics, we need to stop normalising deception disguised as innovation. That starts with education, regulation, and calling out the con when we see it. 

So no, Chad. Griftcoin isn’t innovative. It’s exploitative. And that llama isn’t an accountant.