Fake “MEV Bot” Tutorials: Why Pasting ChatGPT Code into Remix Will Steal Your Funds

Search YouTube or Telegram for “MEV bot tutorial” and you’ll find slick walkthroughs promising easy profit. The pitch is always the same: paste a few lines of “AI-generated” Solidity into Remix, deploy a contract, and watch it harvest MEV (miner/extractor value) automatically. In reality, these tutorials are a trap. The code is designed to drain your wallet, not earn you money. This guide breaks down how the scam works, how to spot it, and how to protect yourself.

What MEV Actually Is (and Why It’s Hard)

MEV is the value extracted by ordering, inserting, or censoring transactions within a block. Professional MEV searchers run complex infrastructure: private mempool access, low-latency networking, custom simulators, and relationships with block builders. It’s a technical arms race. There is no magical “deploy and profit” contract that prints money for a normal user.

That mismatch is exactly why the scam works. Scammers sell a fantasy to people who want a shortcut into a very real, very competitive market.

How the “MEV Bot” Scam Works

The scam typically follows this pattern:

• Step 1: A tutorial claims to show a simple MEV bot in Solidity.
• Step 2: You paste the code into Remix, connect your wallet, and deploy it.
• Step 3: The tutorial tells you to send funds to the contract to “activate” it.
• Step 4: Those funds immediately get siphoned out to the scammer.

The code looks legitimate at a glance, but it contains a hidden withdrawal mechanism. Often the function names are obfuscated or the real destination address is disguised in a weird string or uint conversion. Sometimes the scam uses a “constructor” that sets the owner address to the scammer, or a “withdraw” function that only they can call. Other times it tricks you into calling a function that forwards all ETH to an external address.

Red Flags That the Tutorial Is a Scam

• Claims of easy profits: Any “guaranteed MEV income” is a lie.
• Remix-only workflow: Real MEV bots are not deployed as simple contracts with no infrastructure.
• “Paste and deploy” code: MEV strategies require off-chain logic, not just Solidity.
• Copy-paste from Telegram/YouTube: Scammers often post the same code across accounts.
• Send ETH to activate: Legit MEV systems do not need you to fund a random contract.
• Obfuscated strings or addresses: Look for long hex strings, base64, or confusing casting.
• Commented-out code blocks: Often used to distract from the real drain function.

Common Tricks in the Code

Here are tactics scammers use inside the Solidity code:

• Hidden transfer: A function that sends address(this).balance to a fixed address.
• Fake “profit” logic: Commented examples that don’t actually execute.
• Deceptive variable names: A scammer address labeled router or helper.
• Encoding tricks: The destination address built with bytes and uint conversions.
• Owner assignment: owner = msg.sender replaced with a hardcoded address.
• Reentrancy bait: Functions that look like a security demo but are actually drains.

Why ChatGPT Is a Key Part of the Scam

Many videos claim the code was “generated by ChatGPT,” which is meant to build trust. Some scammers actually do use AI to generate plausible-looking code. That doesn’t make it safe. AI can generate insecure or malicious logic, and scammers can easily edit it to add hidden drains. Never assume code is safe because it “looks smart” or was “AI-generated.”

How to Protect Yourself

Here’s the practical playbook to avoid getting drained:

• Never deploy random contracts: If you don’t fully understand the code, don’t deploy it.
• Don’t fund contracts from tutorials: No real strategy needs you to send ETH to a contract shown on YouTube.
• Use a burner wallet: If you must test something, use a separate wallet with tiny funds.
• Search the contract: Paste the code into a local IDE and search for transfer, call, delegatecall, and selfdestruct.
• Verify all addresses: Any hardcoded address is a giant red flag.
• Check transaction simulation: Tools like Tenderly or Blocknative can show where funds go.
• Don’t trust “proof” videos: Scammers can fake results with testnets or pre-funded wallets.

What If You Already Interacted With One?

If you already deployed or funded a suspicious contract:

• Stop sending funds: Do not “top up” or “try again.”
• Revoke approvals: Use a tool like revoke.cash to remove token allowances.
• Move remaining funds: Transfer assets to a new wallet you control.
• Document everything: Save transaction hashes, the tutorial link, and the code.
• Report the scam: Platforms (YouTube, Telegram) have reporting options; file complaints.

How to Spot Legit Education vs. a Scam

Real educational content about MEV will:

• Explain the technical realities and risks
• Use testnets or simulations, not real funds
• Show off-chain infrastructure and research
• Never promise guaranteed profit

Scam content will focus on “easy money” and hide the real mechanics. The faster they push you to deploy and fund, the more likely it’s a scam.

Bottom Line

There is no shortcut MEV bot you can deploy from a YouTube tutorial. If someone tells you to paste AI-generated Solidity into Remix and send ETH to “activate” profits, it’s a trap. Protect your wallet by treating any easy-profit contract as malicious until proven safe.

Stay safe: If you’re unsure, get a second opinion before deploying or funding any smart contract.