On September 18, a livestream was posted on the IOG YouTube channel associated with Cardano, featuring a deepfake impersonating the project's founder, Charles Hoskinson. The broadcast lasted nearly two hours and was presented as a community meeting within Catalyst – a decentralized fund supporting innovations and grant programs for communities.
In reality, the livestream was used to promote a crypto scam. A QR code and a post promising to "change your life in minutes" were placed next to the video. Scanning the code could lead viewers to a fraudulent site. Hoskinson reported the fake stream via his page on X. "Apparently, 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 on removing the account and resetting the credentials.
The scheme relies on two elements: a fake image of a well-known person and the compromise of the project's real channel. Posting on the legitimate account increases audience trust and complicates early detection of the forgery. Recall that in May, unknown individuals hacked the social media accounts of trader Keith Gill, known as Roaring Kitty. The attackers used his accounts to promote the meme coin RKC.
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