CLAWD Token (Fake ClawdBot AI Scam)
Summary
The $CLAWD token is a fraudulent Solana memecoin launched in January 2026 by unidentified actors who exploited a roughly 10-second window during the ClawdBot-to-Moltbot brand rename to seize the project's X handle and GitHub organization. Presenting the token as an official launch by the viral open-source AI project, the scammers drove the market cap to approximately $16 million before founder Peter Steinberger publicly denied any involvement and the token collapsed by roughly 90%. No attacker has been publicly identified and investor losses are considered unrecoverable.
Connected Entities
3 entities · 10 linked investigations- Hoi9Lo8s2PP7EM9mv9bZjQ3aSB7ijyS238sTqQjbPump→mentioned with→CLAWD Token (Fake ClawdBot AI Scam)(50%)
- ACQCccADAxg3ZGGjb7MuXuLWUmuYtKhEEQ3bqDpvpump→mentioned with→CLAWD Token (Fake ClawdBot AI Scam)(50%)
Timeline(11 events)
2025-12-01
Peter Steinberger launches ClawdBot, an open-source AI assistant that allows users to control their computers through messaging platforms. Approximate launch date; project gains rapid traction.
Decrypt2026-01-26
ClawdBot reaches approximately 9,000 GitHub stars within 24 hours, attracting widespread media and community attention.
DEV Community2026-01-27
Anthropic issues a trademark request to Peter Steinberger, citing the similarity between 'Clawd' and 'Claude.' Steinberger begins the rename process to Moltbot.
Forbes2026-01-27
During the approximately 10-second window between releasing the @clawdbot X handle and securing @moltbot, unidentified scammers seize the old X account and GitHub organization.
Decrypt2026-01-27
Fraudulent $CLAWD token launched on Solana (Pump.fun launchpad, contract address Hoi9Lo8s2PP7EM9mv9bZjQ3aSB7ijyS238sTqQjbPump). Promoted via the hijacked @clawdbot X account and GitHub organization as an official token launch.
Yahoo Finance / CryptoNews2026-01-27
Peter Steinberger publicly denies any involvement with the $CLAWD token, stating: 'I will never do a coin. Any project that lists me as coin owner is a SCAM.'
Protos2026-01-27
$CLAWD token peaks at approximately $16 million market capitalization before Steinberger's denial triggers a sell-off. Market cap falls to under $800,000, a decline of approximately 90%.
Yahoo Finance2026-01-28
Affected token holders direct harassment at Steinberger. Malwarebytes begins documenting a broader impersonation campaign including typosquat domains and cloned GitHub repositories.
Malwarebytes Threat Intel2026-01-29
Security researchers from SlowMist, Dvuln, and others publicly document critical vulnerabilities in deployed ClawdBot instances, including remote code execution and credential exposure.
Decrypt2026-01-30
Project renamed again from Moltbot to OpenClaw. Scams and supply chain attacks against the project's user base continue under the new branding.
Forbes2026-02-01
Palo Alto Unit 42 and SC Media report on ClawHavoc, a supply chain poisoning campaign targeting OpenClaw's skills marketplace with over 1,184 malicious skills across 13 developer accounts.
Palo Alto Unit 42Decision Log
- hash: 7BpGaMcbGV1sukrLGrUDd5W2rtE5jFfTUfgyJ98visgF
This investigation is cryptographically anchored to the Solana blockchain and source URLs are archived via the Internet Archive.
model: claude-sonnet-4-6
generated: 6/30/2026, 5:31:46 PM
last updated: 6/30/2026, 5:31:57 PM
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