Sam Bankman-Fried interviewed Tucker Carlson from prison. The former FTX CEO still thinks declaring bankruptcy was a bad decision, and the exchange would have $93 billion in assets from his investments.
Bankman-Fried’s answers showed that many of his beliefs have remained the same since 2022, but it’s important to remember his biases.
Sam Bankman-Fried’s First Video Interview From Prison
Today, Bankman-Fried sat down with Tucker Carlson for a new video interview covering a wide range of topics.
This time, however, he didn’t mention the pardon. When Carlson asked Bankman-Fried why his extensive political contributions didn’t help him avoid prison in 2022, he responded by talking about his disillusionment with the Democratic Party.
This aligns with statements made in his previous interview.
“One factor that might be relevant is, in 2020, I was center-left, and I gave a lot to Biden’s campaign. I was optimistic. By 2022, I was giving to Republicans, privately, as much as Democrats. That started becoming known right around FTX’s collapse. That probably played a role,” he claimed.
Other than that change, however, many of his crypto-related beliefs appear unchanged since the FTX collapse in 2022. For example, Carlson asked Bankman-Fried whether crypto crimes were bigger 10 years ago, and he replied that they were smaller, citing the Silk Road.
When asked if he had any liquid assets, Bankman-Fried talked about roads not taken.
“The company I used to own, had nothing intervened, today would have about $15 billion of liabilities and about $93 billion of assets. There was enough money to pay everyone back in kind at the time. Plenty of interest left over, and tens of billions left for investors. But that’s not how it worked out. It’s been a colossal disaster,” Bankman-Fried stated.
In other words, he doesn’t seem to think that his actions at FTX were wrong or fraudulent. Similarly, the Silk Road achieved widespread notoriety, but its transactions amounted to less than $200 million.
Meanwhile, crypto scams in 2025 can steal that much in one day. In other words, it’s important to remember his biases, especially since he is removed from the scene.
Carlson grilled Bankman-Fried on a few other topics, like whether crypto scams were tarnishing the industry’s reputation. For the most part, they talked about other topics, such as celebrities incarcerated with him, using muffins as “prison money,” Bankman-Fried’s upcoming birthday, etc.
Bitget exchange, in collaboration with blockchain security firms SlowMist and Elliptic, has exposed the terrifying anatomy of the most advanced crypto scams in recent times.
These findings come amid rising security incidents, ranging from high-profile attacks to government involvement in crypto laundering attacks.
AI Deepfakes, Social Tactics Behind 2025 Crypto Scam Rise: Bitget Report
The report cites AI deepfakes, weaponized psychology, and social engineering. It lays bare how bad actors use synthetic videos, virtual identities, and fake crypto meetings to deceive users and dismantle trust in the Web3 ecosystem.
A key finding in the report is that in 2025, scams will go beyond stealing user keys to hijack victims’ realities. From celebrity deepfakes to Trojan job offers and fake Zoom meetings, the latest scams blend high-tech deception with low-tech manipulation.
Bitget’s report categorizes the most dangerous threats under three pillars: deepfake impersonation, social engineering scams, and advanced Ponzi schemes. The most insidious are deepfakes.
AI Deepfakes Blur the Line Between Real and Fake
In early 2025, Hong Kong police arrested 31 individuals in a deepfake scam syndicate. Perpetrators stole $34 million by impersonating crypto executives during fake investment calls. This was just one of 87 similar operations dismantled across Asia in Q1 alone.
“…attackers using AI synthesis tools to fabricate audio and video likenesses of well-known project founders, exchange executives, or community KOLs in order to mislead users. These fabricated materials are often highly realistic,” read an excerpt in the report shared with BeInCrypto.
With tools like Synthesia, ElevenLabs, and HeyGen, attackers fabricate dynamic likenesses of public figures. Named victims include Elon Musk and Singapore’s Prime Minister. Bad actors create convincing videos to promote fraudulent platforms.
These videos are often distributed on social channels like Telegram, X (Twitter), and YouTube Shorts. Based on the report, they turn off comments to maintain a façade of legitimacy.
One case involved deepfake clips of Singapore Minister Lee Hsien Loong endorsing a “government-backed crypto initiative.” The campaign reportedly ensnared thousands before it was flagged.
Zoom, but Make It a Scam
Another disturbing tactic involves impersonating Zoom. Victims receive fake meeting invites from “crypto executives,” prompting them to download Trojan-laced software.
During the meeting, scammers use deepfake avatars and fabricated credentials to trick users into sharing wallet access or approving malicious transactions.
“The people luring you to download fake Zoom for meetings are extremely persuasive, making you feel it’s unlikely to be fake. A key point is that the participants you see during the meeting are actually displayed using deepfake videos… Don’t doubt it, in the AI era, video and voice forgery can be extremely realistic…,” SlowMist founder Cos shared on X.
Once inside the system, attackers can access browser data, cloud storage, or private keys, exposing users to total account compromise. These multi-layered attacks represent a new “identity hijack” category combining technical infiltration and social trust manipulation.
Social Engineering to Exploit Human Vulnerability
Bitget’s report stresses that modern scams rely as much on psychology as code. One notable trend is the rise of “AI arbitrage bot” scams, where scammers promise effortless gains using ChatGPT-branded smart contracts.
Bad actors trick users into deploying malicious code via fake Remix IDE pages, and their funds are instantly rerouted to scammer wallets.
What’s worse? These schemes are often small-scale, targeting victims for $50–$200 at a time. While the losses are minor enough to deter pursuit, they are frequent enough to generate large cumulative profits for attackers.
Ponzi Schemes Behind Promised Yields
Beyond AI-generated scams, Bitget also warns that traditional Ponzi and pyramid schemes have not disappeared, but have mutated. Specifically, these scams have undergone a “digital evolution,” leveraging on-chain tools, rapid viral marketing, and the illusion of legitimacy through smart contracts.
Instead of opaque offshore bank accounts, modern-day fraudsters attract victims through Telegram groups, Twitter hype, and tokens with built-in referral mechanics.
Smart contracts give these scams a thin veneer of decentralization and transparency. Meanwhile, carefully obfuscated tokenomics mimic legitimate yield structures until the inevitable collapse.
A potent mix of social engineering and digital virality is fueling this transformation. Influencers and anonymous promoters often seed these scams through memes, testimonials, or even AI-generated videos posing as reputable figures.
Projects disguised as “community-driven” DAOs or staking protocols rope users in with unsustainable returns, creating a frenzy of buy-ins that mask the exit liquidity strategy.
As regulation struggles to catch up, the speed and scale at which these digital Ponzi schemes propagate make them harder to track.
A Call for Skepticism and Collective Defense
Against this backdrop, Bitget has launched a dedicated Anti-Scam Hub, integrating real-time behavioral analytics to flag suspicious activity.
It has partnered with Elliptic and SlowMist to trace illicit fund flows and dismantle phishing infrastructures across multiple chains.
The report urges users to verify all asset-related instructions across multiple channels, noting that visual and auditory credibility is no longer enough. It also encourages projects to adopt on-chain signature broadcasts and maintain a single verified communication channel.
Scam Red Flags and Protection Measures. Source: Bitget report
With scams advancing, so must user and ecosystem defenses. The crypto industry now faces a dual challenge: safeguarding assets and rebuilding user trust in a digital world where anyone can be anyone.
RWA altcoins are drawing renewed attention this week, with Sky (SKY), Plume (PLUME), and Centrifuge (CFG) showing sharply contrasting trends. SKY leads the pack with a 19% weekly gain, fueled by strong adoption of its upgraded Maker-based ecosystem.
PLUME has dropped 21% following the death of its co-founder. This comes despite the project’s recent mainnet launch and strong backing from major investors.
Meanwhile, CFG has surged over 14% in the past 24 hours. The jump follows its $1 billion milestone announcement and its expansion of real-world asset access on Solana.
Sky (SKY)
Sky Protocol is a decentralized financial system built as an evolution of the Maker Protocol. It introduces upgraded tokens—USDS and SKY—as direct successors to DAI and MKR.
Over the past seven days, SKY has surged more than 19%, making it the top-performing token among the ten largest real-world asset (RWA) altcoins.
With its market cap now nearing $1.9 billion, bullish sentiment has grown around the token. If this upward momentum continues, SKY could test resistance at $0.094 and potentially push toward $0.10.
However, if the market turns and support at $0.075 is broken, downside targets include $0.069 and $0.0635.
Plume (PLUME)
Plume Network is a Layer 1 blockchain focused on bringing real-world assets (RWAs) into DeFi through tokenization.
The project has received backing from major firms like YZi Labs and Apollo Global, and recently launched its long-awaited Genesis mainnet to support yield-bearing RWAfi assets.
Despite Plume’s established investor base and progress in onboarding over 200 projects, public trust took a hit as trading volume surged and rumors swirled about the circumstances surrounding Shen’s death.
In the past seven days, PLUME has dropped 21%, dragging its market cap down to $200 million.
The ongoing correction puts the token at risk of falling below the $0.90 mark if bearish sentiment persists.
On the upside, a reversal could see PLUME testing resistance at $0.115, with potential targets at $0.128 and $0.142 if momentum strengthens.
Centrifuge (CFG)
Centrifuge is a real-world asset (RWA) tokenization platform. It lets asset managers bring financial products onchain and gives investors access to a diverse tokenized asset portfolio with real-time, transparent data.
The protocol recently expanded to Solana by launching deRWA tokens—freely transferable RWAs.
These can be traded, lent, or used as collateral across major Solana DeFi platforms like Raydium, Kamino, and Lulo.
Two days ago, Centrifuge announced it has surpassed $1 billion in total real-world assets financed—an important milestone for the RWA sector.
BlackRock’s iShares Bitcoin Trust (IBIT) recorded its largest single-day outflow on May 30, with investors pulling $430.8 million from the fund.
This marked the end of a 31-day inflow streak and the first net withdrawal in over seven weeks.
BlackRock’s IBIT Still Dominates Bitcoin ETF Inflows
Before this reversal, IBIT attracted $6.5 billion in May alone, making it one of the strongest months since its debut in January 2024.
IBIT’s rapid ascent is not limited to the crypto space. Within 18 months, it climbed into the top 25 US-listed ETFs by assets under management, which many have described as unprecedented.
At the same time, the fund ranks among the top five ETFs for year-to-date inflows across over 4,200 US-listed funds.
IBIT hits new monthly record for inflows…
Nearly $6.5bil in May.
Has now taken in money 31 of past 32 trading days overall.
“What a run over the past 30+ days though. IBIT now pushing $ 70 billion in assets < less than 17 months since launch. Not sure I have words to describe how ridiculous this is,” Geraci stated.
Bloomberg ETF analyst Eric Balchunas highlighted that IBIT has recently absorbed more than 100% of net Bitcoin ETF inflows. This marks an unusual shift from its typical 70% share.
The IBIT vs Everyone Else flow disparity is interesting. Normally IBIT takes in 70% of the net inflows but lately it’s over 100%. My theory: the latest rally was more an institutional buying spree than retail (perhaps sparked by the decoupling and lessened vol). https://t.co/9mNLCUaOEz
