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Ripple Labs has warned its global XRP community about a sharp rise in fake promotions and impersonation scams spreading across social media. The alert arrived through RippleX’s verified X account on Thursday, just hours before the expected rollout of the first U.S. spot XRP exchange-traded fund.
The development team cautioned users about livestreams, false giveaways, and cloned investment programs posing as official Ripple events. “Ripple employees will never ask you to send funds, share wallet info, or join investment streams,” the statement read. “Always verify information through Ripple and RippleXDev. Keep your XRP yours.”
This message came at a sensitive time for the community. Market excitement surrounding the ETF launch has drawn opportunists seeking to trick eager investors. Ripple noted that scammers often surface whenever the token gains attention or celebrates legal or regulatory milestones.
Fraudulent videos have become one of the most common threats. Ripple’s CEO, Brad Garlinghouse, has repeatedly warned that bad actors use video-editing technology to imitate his image and voice. The latest example surfaced on the verified account of a tokenized-asset platform called HoneyBee.
The clip showed a fake Garlinghouse claiming to launch a ‘Ripple Rewards’ program - a supposed airdrop of 100 million XRP. Viewers were told to visit a false link at financexrp.net. The company’s chief technology officer, David Schwartz, quickly dismissed the video as an “obvious scam,” while Garlinghouse later posted a short message reminding users that Ripple “will never ask you to send us XRP.”
Such deepfakes have flooded platforms like YouTube, X, and Facebook. They mimic official accounts, creating believable but entirely fabricated messages. According to a July report, incidents involving fake cryptocurrency promotions have climbed by more than 450 percent within a year.
Scammers have tracked Ripple’s legal battle with the US Securities and Exchange Commission since late 2020. Each time the company achieved a favorable court ruling or settlement, fake airdrops and ‘double-your-XRP’ campaigns followed.
When Ripple and the SEC finalized a $50 million settlement, Garlinghouse again warned that no celebrations or rewards existed. Despite his remarks, new channels quickly appeared online claiming to host official Ripple giveaways.
Ripple once took direct legal action to curb such activity. In 2020, it filed a lawsuit against YouTube, accusing the platform of allowing fake accounts that impersonated company executives. A year later, both sides agreed to work together to remove the content and the case was dropped.
Even after that agreement, scam attempts have continued to evolve. Ripple now urges investors to confirm all information through verified accounts, ignore suspicious offers, and avoid sharing wallet details with unverified pages.
With the XRP ETF expected to debut soon, Ripple’s warning serves as a timely reminder. As excitement builds, investors must remain cautious, question every offer, and protect their assets from impostors lurking behind fake celebrations.
Ripple’s latest warning urges XRP holders to stay cautious as scammers exploit the ETF launch buzz with fake giveaways and deepfake videos. Investors are reminded to verify all information through official Ripple sources and safeguard their XRP assets from online impersonators.
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