Binance founder Changpeng Zhao (CZ) was forced to publicly distance himself from three meme coins on the BNB Chain, whose creators actively used his name for promotion. The tokens in question are $CZ, $TCC, and $AB, which were positioned as "leaders of the new meme season." Zhao categorically stated that he does not own these assets and has no connection to them.
The trigger for the statement was a viral post by a Chinese crypto blogger with an audience of 67,000 followers, which garnered over 222,000 views. In his publication, the author presented the tokens as projects supposedly linked to CZ. Specifically, it was claimed that TCC's interaction with Zhao "launched the entire meme season" on the BNB Chain and propelled the network to the top spot in trading volume. It was separately emphasized that behind the $AB token is an influential figure from the Middle East who allegedly meets personally with Zhao.
Reality vs. Marketing
This tactic is a classic example of using the "halo effect": project creators deliberately tie their tokens to a prominent name to create an illusion of legitimacy and attract naive investors. The entire advertising campaign was built solely on hints and unverifiable claims, without a single fact of Zhao's actual involvement.
Changpeng Zhao reacted briefly and harshly: he denies both interaction with TCC and a close acquaintance with the creator of $AB. In effect, he dismantled the entire marketing structure on which the value of these coins rested.
This incident is yet another reminder that linking a ticker to the name of a well-known figure is not a sign of reliability, but rather a red flag. In the world of meme coins, where hype and manipulation go hand in hand, investors should exercise extreme caution and verify any claims about a project's "connections" before investing.