Act III: The Extraction. The call to action arrives. It’s often a low-market-cap token, a nascent project where the influencer’s endorsement can move markets. What is rarely disclosed is that they hold a significant, pre-purchased position. The community, united in belief, becomes the liquidity for the influencer’s exit.

The pump is orchestrated; the dump is inevitable. The guru moves on, wealthier. The community is left with worthless digital scraps and shattered trust.

This model is insidious because it perverts the very idea of community—turning a space for collective learning into an engine for exploitation.