Cardano’s IOG warns users after YouTube channel hijack

Input Output Group has warned Cardano users to avoid its YouTube channel on Sept. 18 after an apparent takeover resulted in a suspected AI-manipulated Charles Hoskinson livestream promoting a cryptocurrency giveaway. Summary Input Output warned users to avoid its YouTube channel after an apparent account hijack Friday. A suspected AI-manipulated Charles Hoskinson livestream promoted a fraudulent giveaway promising viewers doubled crypto returns. The broadcast used Project Catalyst branding and displayed a QR code directing users toward payments. IOG told users not to click links, send funds, or share personal information with scammers. Cardano has documented similar YouTube giveaway scams for years, including hijacked channels impersonating ecosystem leaders. Input Output said through its official X account that users should avoid interacting with the channel “until further notice,” while warning people not to click links, transfer funds or provide personal information through material appearing there. The warning came while the channel was carrying a livestream presented as a Project Catalyst town hall. The broadcast used footage resembling Hoskinson and promoted an offer that claimed viewers could “double your wealth” by following instructions linked through a QR code. No evidence reviewed shows Hoskinson or Project Catalyst authorized the promotion. You might also like: IOG launches Lace 1.0, a new web3 platform on Cardano IOG warns users away from its compromised YouTube channel At the time of the warning, the suspicious livestream had remained online for close to two hours, according to reporting on the incident. IOG did not state publicly how access to its channel had been obtained or identify the party behind the apparent takeover. Its security message focused on preventing further interaction. Users were told not to follow links, send cryptocurrency or submit personal details until the organization confirmed that its YouTube presence was safe again. No subsequent official post located during this review confirmed that the channel had been fully recovered. Current search results still surface IOG’s ordinary historical videos, but their availability does not by itself establish that administrative control has been restored. IOG has not published a wallet address associated with the fraudulent broadcast. It has likewise not disclosed whether anyone sent ADA or another asset after viewing the stream, leaving any claimed losses unverified. No credible blockchain-forensics firm or security researcher reviewed for this report had published a verified attribution, scam-wallet balance or transaction trail tied specifically to the Sept. 18 incident. Fake Hoskinson livestream followed an old scam pattern The format closely resembles a type of fraud that Cardano has warned users about for years. Cardano’s official scam-awareness guide specifically describes ADA giveaway schemes in which scammers promise to double a user’s holdings after receiving an initial transfer.