RUG: Signs & Types
"Got rugged" is the most common phrase in the world. This lesson explains the types of rugs, their signs on GMGN, and what you should do.
What is a Rug?
A (rugpull) is when the or deliberately crash a coin's price so they profit, and the other buyers take the loss. There are many ways to do it: selling massively, pulling , minting new coins, or making it so you can't sell. One green check doesn't necessarily cover the of every type of rug.
Types of rugs on Solana meme coins
- Dev / insider
- How it works: the dev, , or insiders hold a lot of from the start (often spread across many ). Once the price goes up, they sell together.
- Check on GMGN: DEV, Top 10, Bundler, Insiders, on the bubble map, and / TF in the tab. (lessons 2.4 to 2.9)
- In the author's experience (opinion), this is the most common type on pump.fun tokens.
- Example in the image: the same copycat token FTR from lesson 2.7 ( 63.84%, 100% when checked). The risk was high from the start, and it eventually dumped about 98%.
Copycat token FTR ( Afkbv7…): ① about $237K, ② current $3.34K, ③ 22 hours old. Down about 98% in less than a day. GMGN screenshot (Oct 2026). Token is only an example, not a recommendation. - Liquidity pull
- How it works: the dev still holds the LP tokens, then pulls the funds from the pool. The pool is empty, the coin can't be sold to anyone, and the price is effectively zero.
- Check on GMGN: Burnt must be 100% (red/low = the LP hasn't been burned). pump.fun tokens that have bonded get their LP burned automatically. (lesson 2.3)
- Real example: CIF (Catwifhat), Dec 24, 2023: a team member who controlled about 92% of the liquidity allegedly pulled it (about 2500 SOL), and the price fell about 76% (Cointelegraph). Details in lesson 2.3.
- Mint rug (minting new supply)
- How it works: mint authority hasn't been revoked, so the dev can create as many new coins as they like and sell them. Your price falls because the supply suddenly balloons.
- Check on GMGN: NoMint must be green. Red = the dev can still mint. (lesson 2.1)
- /
- How it works: the dev still holds freeze authority and freezes buyers' wallets. You can buy, but you can't sell; the dev can still sell.
- Check on GMGN: No Blacklist must be green. Red = your wallet can be frozen. (lesson 2.2)
- Slow rug / soft rug
- How it works: the dev doesn't run right away, but sells a little at a time (drip) while their social media gets quieter, and then disappears.
- Check on GMGN: the dev's status in DEV Info (Sell Part / Sell All / Transferred) and the dev's token history. Also check whether their X/Telegram is still active. (lesson 2.5)
- Fake /
- How it works: the dev uses many wallets (bots), or even just one wallet, to buy and sell back and forth so the volume and chart look busy, so other people in.
- Check on GMGN: a chart that climbs like a staircase or too neatly, and a far below the guide compared to MC (lesson 2.10; except new pairs in the first few minutes). Lots of holders with the same funding is also a sign. (lesson 2.6)
- Real examples: ADP and UER (checked Oct 18, 2026) in lesson 2.10. A staircase chart, Total Fee about 63,000 to 77,000x below the guide, even though Bundler was only 0.4% because the wash trading came from a few wallets.
The dev and insiders have held 28% of supply since the start. Guess when they'll dump: drag the marker or tap the chart in the gray area, then lock in your guess.
Signs that often show up before a rug
Remember: no single indicator is absolute. Red on one indicator doesn't mean it will definitely rug or can't go up, and all green doesn't mean zero risk. You check these metrics to minimize risk, not to find a token that's 100% risk-free. Real examples: DOPE (lesson 2.15) had lots of red flags but still pumped, and HeyGrok (lesson 2.16) was mostly green but still dumped. GMGN also gives a Rug % estimate. According to GMGN Docs, this number is calculated from the holders: the more holders who often buy rug tokens, the higher the Rug %. Use it as extra input, not a verdict.
If you see the signs
- Before : is a must-pass check red (NoMint, No Blacklist, Burnt)? High risk, usually skip. Lots of other signs? Use less money or skip.
- Already holding the coin: the dev starts selling, a big cluster starts selling, or liquidity drops? Secure it first ( or ), don't wait.
- Already rugged: accept the loss, don't "average down" into a coin that has already rugged. Don't trust DMs promising to "recover" your funds, that's almost always a scam (see Account Security in lesson 1.4). Write down in your journal what you missed (lesson 3.3).
- Dev / insider dumpCheck: DEV, Top 10, Bundler, Insiders, bubble map, FundingLesson 2.5
- Liquidity pullCheck: Burnt must be 100%Lesson 2.3
- Mint rugCheck: NoMint must be greenLesson 2.1
- Freeze / honeypotCheck: No Blacklist must be greenLesson 2.2
- Slow / soft rugCheck: Dev status (Sell Part / Transferred), socials going quietLesson 2.5
- Fake volumeCheck: Total Fee vs MC, staircase chartLesson 2.10
Summary
- There are 6 types of rugs: dev/insider dump, liquidity pull, mint rug, freeze/honeypot, slow rug, and fake volume.
- Each type has a check on GMGN (DEV, Top 10, Bundler, Burnt, NoMint, No Blacklist, DEV Info, Total Fee). Combine them all in the lesson 2.14 checklist.
- See a danger sign? Before entry: skip or use less money. Already holding: secure it first. Already rugged: accept the loss and write it in your journal.
Common mistakes
- Thinking one green check covers the risk of every type of rug.
- into a coin that has already rugged.
- Trusting DMs promising to "recover" your funds. That's almost always a scam.
- Thinking a red sign = a guaranteed rug, or all green = guaranteed to go up. These signs measure risk, they don't predict the price.
Rugs hit people in a hurry the most. Keep your risk small, and don't let greed make the decisions.
Next up, lesson 2.13: ().
Not financial advice.
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