ZKasino project co-founder Prometheus returns to the stage? New project WhiteRock_Fi causes controversy

In a volatile world of cryptocurrency, trust is as rare as a rare gem, but scandals spread much faster than innovation. On March 16, the well-known crypto KOL He Bi (@hebi 555) broke the news on the X platform that Prometheus, the co-founder of the ZKasino project, which had swept away more than 10,000 ETH and once had a valuation of up to US$350 million, was suspected to have returned to the world as a brand new identity and launched a new project @WhiteRock_Fi. This news instantly was like a huge rock thrown into the calm lake, causing a thousand waves. He Bi called on industry insiders to be vigilant and prevent more investors from falling into potential traps.

ZKasino's "run away" shadow is still shrouded in the hearts of many investors and cannot be removed. So, what kind of character is Prometheus? What unknown stories are hidden behind WhiteRock_Fi? Let's look back to the ZKasino project.

ZKasino was once a brilliant new star in the zkSync ecosystem in 2024. It was initially positioned as a decentralized betting entertainment platform, and then transformed into a "superchain" infrastructure. With the attractive "Bridge - to - Earn" campaign, it attracted a large number of investors to join the market. However, the plot took a sharp turn for the worse in April. The project party suddenly changed the official website rules and announced that the 10,515 ETH deposited by the user (worth about US$33 million at the time) would be forced to be exchanged for ZKAS tokens and locked up for 15 months. This move was regarded by the community as a "soft rug pull" (exit scam), causing an uproar. Immediately afterwards, the funds were quickly transferred to the Lido pledge platform, and the official communication channels were immediately closed. Investors were completely in panic, as if they were in the abyss of darkness, at a loss.

The incident continued to ferment, and on May 3, Dutch authorities arrested a 26-year-old man suspected of being another co-founder of ZKasino, Elham N. (pseudonym Derivatives Monke), and seized assets worth $12.2 million. But regrettably, Prometheus seems to have evaporated from the world and successfully "invisible" and has not been held accountable yet.

It is worth mentioning that ZKasino has been favored by institutions such as MEXC and Big Brain Holdings, and its valuation has soared to US$350 million. After the incident, although the project party argued that the "fund security" and launched the so-called "refund application", it was just a drop in the bucket and could not calm the public anger. Investors lost all their money, and the community's trust in similar projects has dropped to freezing point. According to statistics from the Slow Fog Security Agency, ZKasino ranked first among the top ten runaway incidents in 2024 with a $33 million amount involved, becoming a difficult scar in the crypto industry, reminding people of the existence of industry risks.

Prometheus’s true identity is still a mystery, but he is by no means an unknown person in the crypto circle. He has participated in the Zigzag Exchange, a well-known DEX project of the zkSync ecosystem, which raised a total of US$15 million, and this experience has earned him a certain reputation in the industry. However, the ZKasino incident was like a sharp blade, completely subverting the image he had accumulated before.

Norwegian media "Aftenbladet" once reported that a young man from Rogaland (pseudonym Prometheus) was accused of snatching Norwegian kroner (about 35 million US dollars), and the community even offered a reward to track down his personal information. From a highly anticipated tech star to a wanted controversial figure, Prometheus's life trajectory has undergone a staggering huge drop, which makes people sigh.

Nowadays, a new project called WhiteRock_Fi has quietly emerged in the public eye. Regarding WhiteRock_Fi, there is currently very little public information. According to its official website (whiterock.fi), it aims to tokenize traditional financial assets (such as stocks, bonds and real estate) through blockchain technology. The slogan is very attractive: "Unlock global liquidity and democratize financial participation", claiming that "using cryptocurrency to buy stocks, bonds and real estate, and assets are guaranteed by smart contracts." As a project in the RWA (real world asset) track, WhiteRock_Fi seems to be keeping pace with the industry trend. But if you look closely, you will find that it lacks white paper and clear team information, which makes people deeply doubt its ability to implement it. After all, the RWA track connects traditional assets and has a strong dependence on team resources, and the lack of these key information undoubtedly casts a veil of mystery on the project.

Currently, WhiteRock_Fi's token WHITE has been traded online on platforms such as Uniswap V2. Although the transaction volume is limited at this stage, the popularity of community discussion is heating up, and its X account has attracted about 32,000 followers. At this moment, He Bi's revelations were like a storm, casting a shadow on the project. He pointed out that Prometheus is suspected of operating WhiteRock_Fi in its new identity, and its operating model has surprising similarities with ZKasino: it uses high-profile marketing methods, uses KOL endorsement to attract funds, and may have hidden backdoor risks in the code.

He Bi's revelation has sparked widespread discussion. Below his post, there was a comment saying: "We have just finished researching this project. The product itself is interesting, but the team composition, organization and celebrity endorsement are not clear, which is a big hidden danger." Someone said: "I have been looking for the background of this project, and I feel very suspicious. The token pool has no depth, and the claimed cooperation cannot be confirmed. The total token volume is 65 billion, and I also paid 1 billion to Trump, so I tentatively set it as a scam."

At present, while there is no solid evidence that WhiteRock_Fi has started raising funds and cannot be sure whether it will repeat the "bridge scam" of ZKasino, it has undoubtedly become a potential risk point worthy of focus. Meanwhile, WhiteRock_Fi's Telegram community has not yet made a formal response in the face of the accusations and still maintains a mysterious and low-key attitude, which further aggravates people's suspicion.

The ZKasino incident is far from over with the so-called “refund commitment.” On-chain data analyst Yu Chen found that ZKasino's multi-signed wallet (suspected to be controlled by the team) has used user funds for high-risk operations many times, such as borrowing funds as collateral to other assets and participating in market speculation. The community speculates that this may be a performance of the team trying to make up for the funding gap or make additional profits by taking risks. However, this arbitrary dominance of user assets not only exposes the team's serious integrity crisis, but also completely dissipates the only remaining trust in the safety of funds. He Bi's warning may be based on this background, reminding the entire industry to be highly vigilant about Prometheus' new actions.