The CyberLeek group, behind the high-profile GTA 6 gameplay leaks, pulled off a bold financial operation: the hackers crashed their own token, earning about $286,000 in the process. This is a classic example of how hype around a major news story turns into a tool for quick enrichment at the expense of retail investors.
The critical collapse of CYBERLEEK occurred on August 27—just hours before the official gameplay showcase on Netflix. The coin, launched via PumpFun on the Solana blockchain, rapidly lost ground, and this was no accident.
The Mechanics of Manipulation
Since mid-August, CyberLeek published gameplay videos, weaving in links to donation wallets and the token contract address. Thanks to the buzz around GTA 6, the coin's market cap reached peak values of around $25 million. However, behind this was a well-thought-out scheme.
My investigation, based on on-chain data analysis, shows the hackers acted unconventionally. To build trust, they burned the entire reserve of 270 million CYBERLEEK (at the time, about $1.79 million), which was meant to convince the community of the project's honesty. Then, all subsequent videos led to a website where users were offered to vote for new leaks using the token, artificially sustaining demand.
But as the official premiere approached, the group decided to cash out. A wallet linked to CyberLeek received $154,683 in wSOL and 15.4 million CYBERLEEK in creator fees. Shortly before the Netflix show, the tokens were sold for about $125,000, triggering a 40% price crash.
Outcomes and Consequences
The coin was already losing ground before the dump, but after the creators' actions, it completely collapsed: within a few days, the price fell from $0.03 to $0.003—a 90% drop. The group transferred the tracked funds to platforms like KuCoin and CCE.Cash, with part going to private wallets. It's also possible that not all CyberLeek addresses are publicly disclosed—they may have been quietly dumping small amounts from unknown wallets.
In my estimation, the hackers expected to earn significantly more from this project. Panic messages in the latest videos and declining public interest suggest they simply decided to lock in profits before the hype faded.
My verdict: this case is yet another reminder that meme tokens tied to major events are a high-risk zone. Even burning reserves does not guarantee the team's honesty. Investors should critically evaluate such projects, keeping in mind that behind the creators' anonymity often lies nothing more than a desire to get rich quickly at someone else's expense.