The ViruSs Chicken Scam ZUKI Incident: When KOLs Lose Points With Investors

In 2021, the appearance of viruss in the Vietnamese cryptocurrency market became a painful lesson for many investors. The ViruSs scam involving the Zuki Moba project sparked a deep debate about the ethical responsibilities of Key Opinion Leaders (KOLs) in this field.

The ViruSs Story Entering Cryptocurrency

In mid-2021, Đặng Tiến Hoàng—commonly known as ViruSs—one of Vietnam’s most famous streamers and YouTubers with millions of followers—decided to explore the cryptocurrency space. With the support of a large fan community, ViruSs quickly became a promotional figure for Zuki Moba—a NFT game developed with its own digital currency called ZUKI.

ViruSs’s involvement was not accidental. He co-founded KV Ventures, an investment fund closely linked to the project. Thanks to his significant influence on social media platforms like TikTok, YouTube, and others, ViruSs continuously shared about ZUKI’s potential, encouraging thousands of investors—especially newcomers (F0)—to buy in when the price fluctuated around $0.2–0.3.

ZUKI Price Plummets: Pump and Dump or Market Volatility?

Everything turned around at the end of 2021. ZUKI’s price suddenly dropped sharply, down to about $0.0879 according to CoinMarketCap data, causing the project’s market cap to evaporate nearly $7 million. Frustrated investors began asking pointed questions: Was ViruSs behind the price pump and dump? Or was this just natural market fluctuation?

Tensions escalated when Trần Văn Phúc (commonly known as Zet Under)—a well-known investor and admin of the Phố Tài Chính community on Telegram—publicly criticized ViruSs. Zet Under left a mocking comment: “You’ve only been in the market for less than 3 months and you’re already scamming people,” implying that ViruSs lacked experience and was manipulating investors.

Instead of staying silent, ViruSs responded by posting three videos on YouTube, explaining that he was not a harmful promoter and even accused Zet Under of participating in financial scams. However, the mounting public pressure led ViruSs to delete all these videos afterward, which many investors immediately saw as a tacit confirmation—further complicating the situation.

Withdrawal and Lessons for Crypto KOLs

On December 25, 2021, ViruSs officially announced his departure from KV Ventures and ceased all activities related to Zuki Moba. He significantly reduced his crypto-related social media presence and returned to his main work as a streamer and content creator.

While ViruSs tried to step away, the Zuki Moba project and ZUKI token continued to decline, leaving many retail investors with substantial losses and disillusionment.

This incident became a cautionary example about the responsibilities of KOLs in the crypto market. Experts like Nguyễn Hoàng Hưng warned that when prominent figures set specific prices without proper warnings, they can induce FOMO (fear of missing out), leading investors to heavy losses.

This event serves as an important reminder for all investors to conduct thorough research (DYOR—Do Your Own Research) instead of blindly trusting celebrities, regardless of their influence or fame.