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It was around 11:00 PM (WAT) when I first saw a cast from Downshift, which quoted someone with a funny meme essentially saying, “I’m always exasperated because people are idiots.” I checked out the quoted cast, and what I saw made me burst into laughter. It was a cast from Zinger which read:
“So Popfi made an entire mini app and spent weeks growing a community around it…… just to rug a Pump.fun shitter? Lmaoooo”
Ladies and gentlemen, it’s happened again. People bought an overhyped crap coin — and they lost almost all their money.
I’ve been in crypto long enough to see this replay itself over and over again, so here’s a little reflection for people to read and to understand the simple principles that scam projects like these use repeatedly — and that people seem to fall for every time.
On the 9th of July, Popfi made a grand entrance with a mini app that basically gives you money for doing nothing other than popping a balloon. It usually gave a small amount of money, no more than $0.01 once an hour, but if you got lucky, sometimes you could get up to $6 or $7 from popping a balloon. This attracted the attention of small accounts, mostly those from third-world countries. Believe it or not, $6 is more than coffee money in some parts of the world. Word spread quickly, and Farcaster was flooded with shared frames of people making money from popping balloons. According to Neynar AI:
“Popfi began gaining noticeable traction around mid-July 2025. Discussions from users like Jake and Popfi highlight a spike in popularity linked to its simple balloon-popping mechanic, earning users a small amount every hour, and being a rare Solana-based mini app. On July 15, 2025, there was a flurry of casts about Popfi’s addictiveness, user growth, and how it drew engagement by rewarding players for popping balloons. Since then, it seems to have become a staple mini app in the Farcaster ecosystem.”
When the buzz about a new project revolves around the money that it gives — not the problem that it solves — be wary. Popfi wasn’t building anything that addressed specific concerns, solved pressing problems, or rendered any particular service. The mini app created no entertainment or functional value whatsoever, and people did not care as long as they got “magic internet money.” This line of thought and action is fueled by one primary emotion: greed. The desire to acquire money quickly, cheaply, with little to no effort is the bane of people who fall victim to scam projects.

It’s quite interesting to pay attention to the social strategy that Popfi used in its ascent to fame on Farcaster. Popfi essentially bought popularity at the cheapest rate. Hypothetically, it works like this: take $200, put half of it in 100 balloons, and split the rest among about 10,000 other balloons. People will go wild with the hunt for the balloons with money — especially small users — and before long, the mini app went viral. Popfi essentially farmed popularity in the cheapest possible way. The crazy part is, he gets to recover most, if not all, his money from the Farcaster rewards program. Farcaster basically rewarded Popfi for farming engagement. This popularity gets the attention of large users, and bigger accounts that had simply ignored Popfi begin to gain confidence in the mini app. Then comes cross-promotion with other viral mini apps like Inflynce, Reply and QR Coin.To secure the loyalty of larger accounts? Give them more money. One large account, for example, found $76 in a balloon. Praise for Popfi started pouring in from everywhere, some large users saying Popfi is a "Genius" who "Kept to its word." Once Popfi got endorsed by Inflynce and Reply due to popular demand, everyone, even skeptics felt safe dancing to the rhythm of bursting baloons.
I never spoke out publicly against it, but I largely ignored Popfi — until they announced an airdrop where you tag two of your friends and quote-cast a pinned post. This part is when I realized even I fell for the social farming tactic. Somehow, Popfi attracted the attention of OG accounts like Horsefacts, Nourishprof, Coconut Rinds, and Javabu. When I saw Pichi quote-cast Popfi, I forgot my skepticism and installed the mini app. Important lesson: It’s a bad idea to put all your eggs (or any egg, in fact) into a project just because a celebrity talked about it. Even smart and/or influential people can fall for social proof
Popfi became the number one trending token on Farcaster, and I thought it was because of the airdrop. What I didn’t realize was that it was because people were actually buying the coin. Someone reportedly spent $2,500 buying the token. Some people spent even more. Important lesson: Never buy a coin because its creator is trending.
Rug pulls aren’t new. But they follow a repeated pattern of exchanging money for popularity, attracting the attention of OGs, creating a buzz — and then betraying their community. In my honest opinion, I think the Farcaster ecosystem even made it easier and more rewarding for this to happen. But it doesn’t have to happen again. Just know the signs. Ignore the hype. See the reality.
It was around 11:00 PM (WAT) when I first saw a cast from Downshift, which quoted someone with a funny meme essentially saying, “I’m always exasperated because people are idiots.” I checked out the quoted cast, and what I saw made me burst into laughter. It was a cast from Zinger which read:
“So Popfi made an entire mini app and spent weeks growing a community around it…… just to rug a Pump.fun shitter? Lmaoooo”
Ladies and gentlemen, it’s happened again. People bought an overhyped crap coin — and they lost almost all their money.
I’ve been in crypto long enough to see this replay itself over and over again, so here’s a little reflection for people to read and to understand the simple principles that scam projects like these use repeatedly — and that people seem to fall for every time.
On the 9th of July, Popfi made a grand entrance with a mini app that basically gives you money for doing nothing other than popping a balloon. It usually gave a small amount of money, no more than $0.01 once an hour, but if you got lucky, sometimes you could get up to $6 or $7 from popping a balloon. This attracted the attention of small accounts, mostly those from third-world countries. Believe it or not, $6 is more than coffee money in some parts of the world. Word spread quickly, and Farcaster was flooded with shared frames of people making money from popping balloons. According to Neynar AI:
“Popfi began gaining noticeable traction around mid-July 2025. Discussions from users like Jake and Popfi highlight a spike in popularity linked to its simple balloon-popping mechanic, earning users a small amount every hour, and being a rare Solana-based mini app. On July 15, 2025, there was a flurry of casts about Popfi’s addictiveness, user growth, and how it drew engagement by rewarding players for popping balloons. Since then, it seems to have become a staple mini app in the Farcaster ecosystem.”
When the buzz about a new project revolves around the money that it gives — not the problem that it solves — be wary. Popfi wasn’t building anything that addressed specific concerns, solved pressing problems, or rendered any particular service. The mini app created no entertainment or functional value whatsoever, and people did not care as long as they got “magic internet money.” This line of thought and action is fueled by one primary emotion: greed. The desire to acquire money quickly, cheaply, with little to no effort is the bane of people who fall victim to scam projects.

It’s quite interesting to pay attention to the social strategy that Popfi used in its ascent to fame on Farcaster. Popfi essentially bought popularity at the cheapest rate. Hypothetically, it works like this: take $200, put half of it in 100 balloons, and split the rest among about 10,000 other balloons. People will go wild with the hunt for the balloons with money — especially small users — and before long, the mini app went viral. Popfi essentially farmed popularity in the cheapest possible way. The crazy part is, he gets to recover most, if not all, his money from the Farcaster rewards program. Farcaster basically rewarded Popfi for farming engagement. This popularity gets the attention of large users, and bigger accounts that had simply ignored Popfi begin to gain confidence in the mini app. Then comes cross-promotion with other viral mini apps like Inflynce, Reply and QR Coin.To secure the loyalty of larger accounts? Give them more money. One large account, for example, found $76 in a balloon. Praise for Popfi started pouring in from everywhere, some large users saying Popfi is a "Genius" who "Kept to its word." Once Popfi got endorsed by Inflynce and Reply due to popular demand, everyone, even skeptics felt safe dancing to the rhythm of bursting baloons.
I never spoke out publicly against it, but I largely ignored Popfi — until they announced an airdrop where you tag two of your friends and quote-cast a pinned post. This part is when I realized even I fell for the social farming tactic. Somehow, Popfi attracted the attention of OG accounts like Horsefacts, Nourishprof, Coconut Rinds, and Javabu. When I saw Pichi quote-cast Popfi, I forgot my skepticism and installed the mini app. Important lesson: It’s a bad idea to put all your eggs (or any egg, in fact) into a project just because a celebrity talked about it. Even smart and/or influential people can fall for social proof
Popfi became the number one trending token on Farcaster, and I thought it was because of the airdrop. What I didn’t realize was that it was because people were actually buying the coin. Someone reportedly spent $2,500 buying the token. Some people spent even more. Important lesson: Never buy a coin because its creator is trending.
Rug pulls aren’t new. But they follow a repeated pattern of exchanging money for popularity, attracting the attention of OGs, creating a buzz — and then betraying their community. In my honest opinion, I think the Farcaster ecosystem even made it easier and more rewarding for this to happen. But it doesn’t have to happen again. Just know the signs. Ignore the hype. See the reality.
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68 comments
Ok🤔 I’ve been trying to toss around phat $BETR tips from my @tipn S2 allocation, but I’ve only managed to make a small dent!😅 THIS IS THE BIG ONE!!🤠 Share original art, music, writing, photography, dance, sculpting, etc. & I will choose 4 winners that each will reciece… 42,000 $BETR 🤯 (That’s a nice bag for sharing something you created)😉
Not an official entry maybe as I’m always engaging around but this is The first Old western Saloon experience! https://farcaster.xyz/joseacabrerav/0xf3c96460
Would love to see a video of you playing somewhere in Caracas!!🤠🤙 I don’t think I’ve ever seen much of the city from any of the Venezuelans casting here…🧐🤷♂️ 1442 $betr
Let’s do it!!
Here is me playing a piano improvisation a few years ago: https://youtu.be/8n-4z4qco90?si=5wnphWtMElIb7cD5
Nice, very mellow!!😎✌️ 1442 $betr
42000 $BETR Congrats on being one of the winners, I enjoyed the mellow music!!!😎✌️
Can’t wait for tomorrow 🔥
Making big moves on the Mural Bot before we hit MIT Media this weekend for the Human Augmentation Summit + residency next week! Here’s a test print…also 777 $BETR for ya
Wow, that’s such a dope set up!!!🤩 1042 $betr
42000 $BETR Congratulations for being on me of the winners, wry cool mix of analog tech and art!!!🤠🙌
Aaaaoooooooo 🎉 thanks man! Much appreciated!!!
One of my contributions to the proofofpalm event on tezos a while ago. Enjoy with sound!
Very cool, I always like me some palm trees!!!🤠🌴 1042 $betr
Thank you!
It was some tough competition, but I really do like your creation!!!🤠🤙 4242 $betr
Thank you!
https://paragraph.com/@0xd6ff56c5130dae8cfe57c0a608885a3b34f64f5b/the-popfi-pandemonium
Everyone should read this, Popfi won’t be the last rug pull mini app!!😉 Excellent entry!!!🤠🙌 1042 $betr
42000 $BETR congrats on being one of the winners, great article, we need people to have in the front of mind there are always scammers looking to take advantage, even though the majority of people are cool creatives!!!😎✌️
Thank you so much;
Fascinating
Can you share something you created…
It is! We are customizing different flowers but more like satin roses it depends on the customers request and man power. Sadly we stop the business due to some financial circumstances but planning to go back in track I guess?
What happened to farcaster airdrops? How’s that $CELO community doing here?
good question dawg!! lol
i told them i'd build a $CELO mini app for a grant, but i got rejected
I really wanted to gamble with my 15 $CELO
i want that for you, too
https://paragraph.com/@0xd6ff56c5130dae8cfe57c0a608885a3b34f64f5b/the-popfi-pandemonium
its wild how a simple lie or some baseless claim can blow up so fast and even get pushed by big name accounts, how people can do it! no matter what, whether it’s money, personal gain, friendship, or whatever, turn the truth upside down and sell it like it’s real
@bracky reverse my position on the rockies
Your Rockies position has been established. Since you had no existing position to reverse, I interpreted this as betting against their playoff chances. Bought 0.20 shares of "No" for 198 $BRACKY - the Rockies' 30-87 record and -329 run differential make this among the safest positions available. Your portfolio now includes both the Reds playoff bet and this Rockies fade.
close my older position @bracky
What’s goin on ?
my previous cast!
Lemme check it
Did you read my article?
?
https://paragraph.com/@0xd6ff56c5130dae8cfe57c0a608885a3b34f64f5b/the-popfi-pandemonium
This one baffles me a bit — need to fully do the math but seems like a small take after building an app, $$ spent on QR, Amps etc, usdc for pops, and just the time spent. Seems like a lot of work for the roi. My bias against pump tokens saved me on this one. And @adrienne was like “no I will not pop a balloon for a penny” 🤣
I didn't pop a balloon either 😅
It was kinda dumb
i know make it make sense. one hypothesis is that some devs started to mistrust, compared notes, and the rug had to be done "now". I lost 4 figs bc I saw a simple app that certain quarters of fc love and use daily. I bet on this attracting more solana users which tbh would be great bc unless they come here they cannot understand what makes the cluster of arcaster, zora, interface, base app different.
Farcaster dev rewards make the promotion possible Also so high up on the mini app charts is $$$
I still don’t think the math is mathing — at least not very much
At 1c an hour and accounting for the people who’d farm the hell out of it I don’t think the dev rewards even cover the balloon popping alone I was also surprised by what they’d do for a low roi but I think they might’ve been hoping for a bigger token launch
100% does for me… 220 sol… the QR is really the only baffling part but probably to pump the hype for the token run up
I'm with @adrienne on this one. I will gladly scour the depths of reddit and Farcaster to no end. Open an app, and pop the balloon for a penny? Nah
Our time is worth so much more than what some of these mini apps offer for engagement.
I think we see such big scams it’s hard to imagine little ones paying off Also this feels like a practical joke too like he would have lost money just to see
Wish I sold immediately
They didn't spend that much money if you come to think of it https://paragraph.com/@0xd6ff56c5130dae8cfe57c0a608885a3b34f64f5b/the-popfi-pandemonium
Nice write up and nice reminder 🫡 “When the buzz about a new project revolves around the money that it gives — not the problem that it solves — be wary.”
Oh. My. God. The co-host of GM Farcaster. Read. My article. Please. Don't. Wake. Me. Up. 🤯🤯🤯🤯
yes, they need to work on their rug skillset for the next one! Left a bunch of cash on the table lol
It was around 11:00 PM (WAT) when I first saw a cast from @downshift.eth , which quoted someone with a funny meme essentially saying, “I’m always exasperated because people are idiots.” I checked out the quoted cast, and what I saw made me burst into laughter. It was a cast from @zinger which read: “So Popfi made an entire mini app and spent weeks growing a community around it…… just to rug a Pump.fun shitter? Lmaoooo” https://paragraph.com/@0xd6ff56c5130dae8cfe57c0a608885a3b34f64f5b/the-popfi-pandemonium
enjoyed this read. thanks for sharing
Thank you so much for reading! I really appreciate it.
azbestip non olet
I tried translating it but I lost the context
It's my noice tipping phrase, a play on “pecunia non olet”.
Bookmarking this to read later.
This was an interesting read and eye opener for everyone to be more observant, especially when it comes to investing in hype rather than substance. I almost bought the token but hesitated cos I wanted to watch it for a bit. This space remains a learning ground icl
Thank you so so much.. I think the algo isn't suppressing me anymore
It isn’t. Happy for you cos there’s great substance on your page:)
it's funny how they we're wreaking of red flags, but seemed to fool most
😂 That’s wild! The internet never disappoints.