Pump and Dump

Microstructure and Manipulation: Quantifying Pump-and-Dump Dynamics in Cryptocurrency Markets ArXiv ID: 2504.15790 “View on arXiv” Authors: Unknown Abstract Building on our prior threshold-based analysis of six months of Poloniex trading data, we have extended both the temporal span and granularity of our study by incorporating minute-level OHLCV records for 1021 tokens around each confirmed pump-and-dump event. First, we algorithmically identify the accumulation phase, marking the initial and final insider volume spikes, and observe that 70% of pre-event volume transacts within one hour of the pump announcement. Second, we compute conservative lower bounds on insider profits under both a single-point liquidation at 70% of peak and a tranche-based strategy (selling 20% at 50%, 30% at 60%, and 50% at 80% of peak), yielding median returns above 100% and upper-quartile returns exceeding 2000%. Third, by unfolding the full pump structure and integrating social-media verification (e.g., Telegram announcements), we confirm numerous additional events that eluded our initial model. We also categorize schemes into “pre-accumulation” versus “on-the-spot” archetypes-insights that sharpen detection algorithms, inform risk assessments, and underpin actionable strategies for real-time market-integrity enforcement. ...

Detecting Crypto Pump-and-Dump Schemes: A Thresholding-Based Approach to Handling Market Noise ArXiv ID: 2503.08692 “View on arXiv” Authors: Unknown Abstract We propose a simple yet robust unsupervised model to detect pump-and-dump events on tokens listed on the Poloniex Exchange platform. By combining threshold-based criteria with exponentially weighted moving averages (EWMA) and volatility measures, our approach effectively distinguishes genuine anomalies from minor trading fluctuations, even for tokens with low liquidity and prolonged inactivity. These characteristics present a unique challenge, as standard anomaly-detection methods often over-flag negligible volume spikes. Our framework overcomes this issue by tailoring both price and volume thresholds to the specific trading patterns observed, resulting in a model that balances high true-positive detection with minimal noise. ...

The Role of Twitter in Cryptocurrency Pump-and-Dumps ArXiv ID: 2306.02148 “View on arXiv” Authors: Unknown Abstract We examine the influence of Twitter promotion on cryptocurrency pump-and-dump events. By analyzing abnormal returns, trading volume, and tweet activity, we uncover that Twitter effectively garners attention for pump-and-dump schemes, leading to notable effects on abnormal returns before the event. Our results indicate that investors relying on Twitter information exhibit delayed selling behavior during the post-dump phase, resulting in significant losses compared to other participants. These findings shed light on the pivotal role of Twitter promotion in cryptocurrency manipulation, offering valuable insights into participant behavior and market dynamics. ...