shill
Fake eager customer
A shill is someone who pretends to be an independent supporter but is secretly working for the person or thing they're promoting.
The word originated in carnival and gambling contexts—a shill would pose as a winning player to lure others into a rigged game.
Now it applies broadly to covert promotion: The reviewer turned out to be a shill for the company.
As a verb, to shill is to promote something while hiding your connection to it.
Fraudulent project abandonment
- scamDishonest money-making scheme
- tokenRepresentative placeholder
- influencerPerson with promotional reach
- astroturfingDisguised sponsored advocacy
bot · sockpuppet · hype · FOMO · memecoin · discord · telegram
False target for misdirection
- plantBotanical organism
- stoogeEasily manipulated pawn
- frontForward-facing side
- confederateAllied partner in schemes
fake · fraud · deceit · subterfuge · ruse · ploy · scheme · trick
Allied partner in schemes
- plantBotanical organism
- stoogeEasily manipulated pawn
- pawnUnwitting tool of another
- collaboratorOne who works jointly
co-conspirator · insider · operative · agent · collusion · complicity · connivance · setup
Exaggerated promotional fanfare
- plugSomething that blocks openings
- toutPromote aggressively
- pitchFrequency of sound
- hawkTaloned predatory bird
peddle · endorser · booster · mouthpiece · cheerleader · propagandist · evangelist · influencer
One who makes offers
- bid-riggingIllegal auction coordination
- confederateAllied partner in schemes
- collusionFraudulent secret cooperation
- ringClosed curve shape
rugpull
Fraudulent project abandonment
- scamDishonest money-making scheme
- tokenRepresentative placeholder
- influencerPerson with promotional reach
astroturfing · bot · sockpuppet · hype · FOMO · memecoin · discord · telegram
decoy
False target for misdirection
confederate · fake · fraud · deceit · subterfuge · ruse · ploy · scheme · trick · con
confederate
Allied partner in schemes
collaborator · co-conspirator · insider · operative · agent · collusion · complicity · connivance · setup · rigged
hype
Exaggerated promotional fanfare
hawk · peddle · endorser · booster · mouthpiece · cheerleader · propagandist · evangelist · influencer · spokesperson
bidder
One who makes offers
- bid-riggingIllegal auction coordination
- confederateAllied partner in schemes
- collusionFraudulent secret cooperation
- gambling cheatscard mechanic, marked cards, stacked deck, card sharp, collusion
- Crookscrook, swindler, fraudster, embezzler, con artist
- accomplicesaccomplice, accessory, co-conspirator, abettor, collaborator
- auction peopleauctioneer, bidder, buyer, seller, consignor
- loaded wordsbigot, racist, fascist, Nazi, terrorist
- online personastroll, bot, influencer, lurker, spammer
- shill accountsFake profiles promoting agendas
shilling, shillelagh, shillings, shills, shilled, shillelaghs