One-Armed Twitch Streamer Pulls Crypto Rug with Fake Disability

A man claiming to have no hands began streaming on Twitch last weekend encouraging crypto users to invest in his Solana-based meme coin—which, as he claimed due to his alleged lack of hands, he had no ability to rug pull and abscond with the proceeds.

No-Handed Twitch Streamer Lures Crypto Users into Rug Pull Scheme

In an audacious display of deception, a self-proclaimed one-armed Twitch streamer enticed cryptocurrency users to invest in his new Solana meme coin, only to vanish with their funds after revealing his true identity.

The incident unfolded on Sunday, when the streamer, known as NoHandsNoRug, launched a live broadcast on Twitch, asserting his inability to rug pull due to his supposed lack of hands.

"I do not have hands, I cannot rug you, chill," the streamer's Twitch channel declared.

Within three minutes of the broadcast, the coin, dubbed HANDS, began to accumulate liquidity. However, the facade quickly crumbled as the coin's creator, initially seen wearing a sign below his chin indicating the absence of his arms, revealed himself to possess arms hidden behind his back. Swiftly, he executed a lightning-fast withdrawal of liquidity, draining the token's value and leaving investors empty-handed.

This brazen exploit is not the first instance of rogue cryptocurrency individuals exploiting live streaming platforms to hype new meme coins. Last week, a mother performed sexually suggestive acts on her son's live stream to pump its meme coin, LIVEMOM, before the duo vanished with the token.

NoHands' less salacious approach nevertheless evoked skepticism among viewers. Before the stream commenced, one astute user questioned, "How would the token be deployed then?"

Another responded succinctly: "Dick."

In total, NoHands, the developer, made away with approximately 7 SOL, valued at just over $1,000 at the time.

But in the realm of cryptocurrency, one degenerate's trash can become another's treasure. As the clip revealing the streamer's deceptive tactics went viral on Twitter, it caught the attention of interested parties.

Within a day, a group of four friends, who wish to remain anonymous, told Decrypt that they had initiated a takeover of the HANDS community, believing it had gained enough notoriety as a meme to potentially become a meme coin with enduring strength. They claimed to hold no substantial amount of the token but were dedicated to expanding NoHandsNoRug's social media presence.

On Monday, they began operating the Twitter and Telegram accounts for the token; other community members are building a website. Since Monday, the token has registered an approximate $552,000 in trading volume; today, it hovers at a market cap of about $16,000.

HANDS' newfound leadership aims to safeguard the token from suffering the consequences of its liquidity burn. According to DexScreener, however, an unknown cryptocurrency trader now holds approximately one-third of the token's circulating supply. Notably, meme coins like HANDS can be easily manipulated by large holders, assuming they can find liquidity to trade.

Wusi, a pseudonymous cryptocurrency user who purchased HANDS during the streamer's initial broadcast, told Decrypt that they had lost 1 SOL when the token crashed.

Since then, they have reinvested 2 SOL into the project.

Edited by Andrew Hayward

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