Astroturfing

This challenging strategy entails aiming to achieve credibility and authenticity by making marketing and public relations communications appear to be organically occurring in a grassroots organization.

Astroturfing has long been a favorite tactic of both political organizations and commercial corporations. One famous example is the tobacco industry's creation of the fake National Smokers Alliance lobbying group.

The technique of astroturfing is now widely known, and the reputational costs connected with it are significant. Many countries have passed legislation to prevent it, and some governments now compel bloggers, social media users, and influencers to mark sponsored material with a #ad tag. Regardless, astroturfing is still common in the bitcoin industry. The method has frequently been used to generate interest in initial coin offerings (ICOs), with Telegram and Discord being two of the most popular channels. It is estimated that dozens of marketing businesses are now almost entirely devoted to starting astroturfing operations aimed specifically at the cryptocurrency industry.

The rapid expansion of Telegram and Discord community membership is a frequent sign of astroturfing activities. There are also various programs available that allow users to "check" the validity of Twitter and other social network profiles.