One Man, One AI, One Fake Persona: Inside the 5-Year Influence and Fraud 'Patriot Bait' Campaign

Reported 21 May 2026 by otx · Severity: medium

A solo Russian-speaking threat actor tracked as 'bandcampro' operated a five-year MAGA-themed Telegram channel with approximately 17,000 subscribers, initially forwarding cryptocurrency scam content before pivoting to AI-automated operations in September 2025. The actor utilized