Some social media influencers are being paid thousands to endorse cryptocurrency projects

Ben Armstrong says his crisis of conscience came in January of this year, when he realized he had to stop a business practice he — and a lot of other people in his line of work — had been engaged in for years. 

Armstrong is one of the most-watched crypto influencers on YouTube. His channel, BitBoy Crypto, has amassed more than 1.5 million subscribers. For years, Armstrong said he accepted payments from crypto companies to tout their new…