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Cardano Warns of Scam Broadcast Featuring Deepfake of Hoskinson

Forklog • September 18, 2026

On September 18, a stream was launched on the Cardano YouTube channel featuring a deepfake of blockchain founder Charles Hoskinson promoting a crypto scam.

The live broadcast purported to be a community meeting as part of Project Catalyst, a decentralized fund supporting innovation and grant programs for communities. The stream lasted nearly two hours.

The video was accompanied by a post promising to “change your life in minutes,” with a QR code placed nearby.

Hoskinson warned users the scam broadcast through his social media page on X.

“It appears the IOG YouTube account has been hacked. Do not trust any videos or click on links,” the developer wrote.

The Cardano team is currently working to remove the account and reset credentials.

Earlier, in May, unknown individuals hacked the social media accounts of trader Keith Gill, known as Roaring Kitty. The perpetrators the meme coin RKC.

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This article is one source in a clustered incident — the cluster page carries the summary, timeline and every other outlet covering it.

Cardano YouTube Channel Hacked for Deepfake Crypto Scam On September 18, 2026, the official YouTube channel of Input Output Global (IOG), the company behind Cardano, was hijacked to stream a deepfake video of founder Charles Hoskinson promoting a cryptocurrency giveaway scam. The fraudulent livestream, disguised as a Project Catalyst town hall, encouraged viewers to send ADA to a specified address via a QR code, falsely claiming they would double their holdings. Hoskinson confirmed the breach on X, warning users not to trust any content from the compromised channel. IOG is currently working to regain control of the account and remove the deceptive material. The incident highlights ongoing security concerns within the cryptocurrency community, as scams leveraging deepfake technology are becoming increasingly prevalent. Users are advised to avoid clicking links or scanning QR codes from the affected account, as cryptocurrency transactions are irreversible and funds sent to attacker-controlled wallets are difficult to recover. 2 sources 67

Extracted Entities

Cardano Warns of Scam Broadcast Featuring Deepfake of Hoskinson

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Extracted Entities

APT Groups (2)

Attack Types (2)

Companies (5)

CWE Weaknesses (1)

Malware (1)

Platforms (3)