Pump.Fun GO Bounties Platform Draws Criticism Over Risks and Exploitation
9 reported3 unconfirmed
Pump.Fun, a cryptocurrency platform known for memecoin creation, has launched a new feature called Pump.Fun GO that allows users to post crypto bounties for others to complete tasks. The feature, which the company says lets users “pay anyone to do anything,” has drawn criticism from a digital security expert who warns it incentivizes coercion, harassment, and physical and legal risks. Many bounties are reportedly flooded with AI-generated imagery submitted as proof of completion, and users have no apparent recourse if another submission is selected as the winner. The platform’s terms of service state that users are responsible for their own actions and compliance with law, and that crypto rewards are “not guaranteed.” According to the GO homepage, more than $300,000 has been paid out in the past two weeks, with a roughly equal amount still unclaimed. Pump.Fun’s legal department did not return a request for comment.
What’s reported
Pump.Fun GO allows users to post crypto bounties held in escrow until a countdown clock runs out.
An initial wave of bounties included prompts for a memecoin-themed parachute stunt at a World Cup game and a request for a Black person to cover themselves in watermelon and repeat a specific phrase.
Many bounties are flooded with AI-generated imagery presented as evidence of completed tasks.
Terms of service warn the platform may remove content, suspend accounts, and cooperate with authorities in cases of fraud, scams, market manipulation, or illegal content.
A $215 bounty titled “Go to McDonalds and get a burger” specifies the payout will be split between the first 20 valid entries, coming out to $10.75 each.
A man in India has already had his forehead tattooed for the equivalent of $3,000.
More than $300,000 has been paid out in the past two weeks, with a roughly equal amount unclaimed.
Pump.Fun normally charges a 0.95 percent fee on crypto trades.
Pump.Fun’s parent company and founders, along with Solana executives, face a class-action suit alleging securities fraud and racketeering.
Open questions
How Pump.Fun moderates and approves bounty submissions and collection claims.
How much the platform may be collecting on GO transactions.
What recourse users have if their submission is not selected as the winner.
Key figures
Andrew Ford Lyons, technologist who works on digital security and safety projects for human rights groups and other organizations.
Sources: Wired
