SAFEMOON

SafeMoon launched in March 2021 and became the defining retail scam of the bull run. It promised a revolutionary tokenomics model where 10% was taxed on every transaction — 5% redistributed to holders, 5% to a liquidity pool. The pitch was that you'd make money just by holding. TikTok and YouTube influencers pumped it relentlessly. Millions of people — many first-time crypto buyers — invested. At peak, it reached roughly $6 billion market cap. The SEC eventually charged the founders with fraud, and the DOJ filed criminal charges against CEO Braden John Karony for securities fraud, wire fraud, and money laundering. SafeMoon is now essentially worthless. It remains the textbook example of how a slick marketing campaign and "innovative tokenomics" can separate retail investors from billions.