From viral sensation to crypto queen, who could've predicted the current trajectory of Haliey "Hawk Tuah" Welch?
From a simple vox pop on the Tim & Dee TV YouTube channel to hosting her own podcast, having Elon Musk in her DMs and launching her own AI-powered dating app, Welch has done a lot in the past six months.
In perhaps the strangest turn, she's launched her own cryptocurrency with a memecoin. In this world of Dogecoin and Coinye, memecoins can get a little confusing and more than a little risky. Now, Hawk Tuah Girl has been accused of pumping and dumping her memecoin, with some even suggesting she could go to jail.
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Despite only launching on December 4 and soaring to a market cap of $500 million, Welch's $HAWK memecoin collapsed within 20 minutes. Some say that investors were losing money before the memecoin even launched, with accusations that token insiders kept 97% of the stock and then started actively selling it off.
As well as large investors 'sniping' $HAWK, others speculate that the memecoin was part of a 'rug pulling' scam where developers bail from a currency and its prices plummet.
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Things got heated in an X space, where crypto journalist Stephen Findeisen, aka Coffeezilla, asked who made money from $HAWK and how much Welch made from it. While Hawk Tuah Girl stayed quiet, the overHere account behind the memecoin said: "There was no rug pull because we didn't pull a rug. I don't know what you're trying to say, it's not true. That's defamation."
An angered Coffeezilla said 'do the math' and claims someone must've profited from $HAWK's flash sale. He concluded: "This is the worst tokenomics I've ever seen and it is a scam."
Welch only chimed in to say, "Anywho, I'm going to go to bed and I'll see you guys tomorrow."
The overHere account reiterated that Welch hasn't profited from a 'pump and dump', writing: "Haliey's Team has sold absolutely no tokens whatsover.
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"Haliey's Team has 10% allocation which is locked for 1 year and vested over 3 years. The rest of the tokens are distributed into the different wallets as according to the tokenomics."
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Although unverified, a screenshot is doing the rounds suggesting that someone put their life savings into $HAWK and has lost out. There are numerous similar posts, but it’s hard to tell who actually invested big and lost out.
Replying to the news, someone said: "Burn the supply you’re holding, use the funds your dev dumped to support the chart, apologize, and start working seriously. That’s your best shot at turning this around. Otherwise, pack your bags for prison, we’ll see you in 10 - 15 years."
Another said, "How many hawks can she tuah while trying to pick up the soap?" and a third joked, "Straight $TUAH prison!"
Welch maintains that she tried to stop snipers, but with crypto investor Scooter sharing proof that he's filed legal action and encouraging others to do so, it doesn't sound like this story is going to go away anytime soon.