It was rumored for some time on the Chinese media platform WeChat that Changpeng “CZ” Zhao, the CEO of Binance, had been shot by the US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). Fortunately, that is not true and Zhao can personally deny that reporting on Twitter.
Just a good band
In a tweet dated March 4, CZ addressed speculation on China’s WeChat that the FBI’s CEO was allegedly shot. “Someone photoshopped this and then it was widely spread on WeChat in China. It says I was shot by the FBI, which our team works very closely with,” said Zhao.
In his message on Twitter, Changpeng Zhao also puts the number 4, referring to his good intentions for 2023. Number 4 on that list was the intention to ignore FUD (Fear, Uncertainty and Doubt).
The false rumors about Zhao’s “death” are somewhat similar to those from 2017 about Vitalik Buterin, who was said to have died in a car accident at the time. Vitalik Buterin then produced a so-called “Proof-of-Life” by taking a photo containing the last block of the Ethereum blockchain.
FBI Agent Kang
Binance takes security and fraud prevention on its platform seriously, as evidenced by the hiring of former FBI agent BJ Kang. That same Kang has long been called “the most feared man on Wall Street” because he was responsible for capturing Bernie Madoff, who in turn was responsible for the biggest pyramid scheme ever.
Kang helps Binance.US investigate and counter illegal activities on the platform. Of course, that does not alter the fact that Binance can also use a figure like Kang to give the impression that they are doing a good job in this area.
On March 1, Binance.US received a letter from three US Senators requesting more information about their financial health. The senators claim that the “little information” currently available suggests the exchange platform is a “breeding ground” for illegal activity.