Moltbot Founder Warns of Fake CLAWD Meme Coin Scams

Scammers took advantage of a forced name change to crack Steinberger’s GitHub and X accounts, fueling false token claims.

Open-source AI assistant ClawdBot founder Peter Steinberger has said he has never issued a token and that all crypto projects claiming his involvement are scams, after his GitHub and X accounts were taken over in a forced renaming.

The incident has sparked a new wave of debate about meme coins built around viral technology projects and how the buzz around open source software often turns into speculative trading without the developer’s consent.

Founder rejects tokens as scammers misuse ClawdBot name

Steinberger, who recently renamed the project Moltbot due to trademark issues, said an error during the renaming allowed crypto scammers to crack his GitHub and X accounts.

In several posts on X he said asked crypto users to stop “harassing” him and said he is working with GitHub to restore access.

“I will never tip a coin,” he wrote. “Any project that lists me as a coin owner is a SCAM.”

He also added that he does not accept token-related fees and such claims harm the project.

The situation unfolded as trading interest grew around CLAWD, a Solana-based meme coin launched via pump.fun, which some traders loosely tied to ClawdBot. Several crypto accounts promoted the token, while others pushed back.

On January 25, researcher Stitchdegen said stressed that CLAWD is not an official sign and confirmed that Steinberger had denied any involvement in the project. Software developer Ozmen wrote on January 27 that there is a similar scam hit many open source projects as they become visible, with founders advised to clearly state their non-involvement and ignore the noise.

You might also like:

However, not all responses were sympathetic. Crypto trader Kotonono Tsumugi criticized Steinberger’s supposedly anti-crypto stance in a Jan. 27 post, while meme coin enthusiast Latuche joked that the harassment would never fully stop. Meanwhile, technical commentator Robert Scoble said he has also rejected token requests, adding that there are other ways to fund projects that don’t involve coins.

A well-known pattern in speculation with meme coins

The ClawdBot dispute follows a pattern seen across the crypto world, where viral ideas or public figures become raw material for fast-moving tokens. Earlier this month, AI-themed meme coin RALPH fell about 80% after a wallet linked to the developer sold about $300,000 worth of tokens, sparking a public discussion about trust and alignment. In that case, the developer said it did not consent to the token’s creation, a claim that did little to calm traders.

The warnings from industry figures have also become louder. On January 13, former Binance CEO Changpeng Zhao criticized traders for treating informal messages as investment signals and warned them that buying meme coins inspired by his jokes would likely lead to losses.

For Steinberger, the focus remains on software, not speculation. According to him, ClawdBot is a young hobby project with ‘sharp edges’ that is intended to inspire builders and not to create financial pressure.