Cardano developer Input Output Group warned users to avoid its official YouTube channel on September 18, 2026, after a hijack resulted in an unauthorized livestream. The broadcast used suspected AI-manipulated footage of founder Charles Hoskinson and Project Catalyst branding to promote a fraudulent giveaway promising to double viewers' wealth. Input Output Group urged users not to click links, send funds, or share personal information while they work to restore administrative control.
IOG YouTube channel hijack
- ▪The hijacked Input Output Group YouTube channel broadcasted a suspicious livestream for nearly two hours on September 18, 2026.
- ▪Input Output Group did not publicly disclose how the attackers obtained access to its YouTube channel during the September 18, 2026, hijack, or identify the party responsible for the takeover of the channel
- ▪Cardano developer Input Output Group warned users on September 18, 2026, to avoid its official YouTube channel following an apparent account hijack.
AI-manipulated Hoskinson video
- ▪The livestream that hijacked Input Output Group's YouTube channel on September 18, 2026, featured a suspected AI-manipulated video of Cardano founder Charles Hoskinson promoting a cryptocurrency giveaway
- ▪No technical forensic report has independently verified how the Charles Hoskinson footage shown in the September 18, 2026, livestream on Input Output Group's YouTube channel was produced
Crypto giveaway scam pattern
- ▪A fraudulent livestream broadcast on Input Output Group's YouTube channel on September 18, 2026, displayed a QR code and directed viewers to instructions promising to double their cryptocurrency wealth
- ▪Cardano's official scam-awareness guide warns that legitimate giveaways never require users to transfer cryptocurrency first.
- ▪The Cardano Foundation has documented YouTube giveaway scams involving hijacked channels and fake Charles Hoskinson footage since at least 2020.
Project Catalyst branding misuse
- ▪A fraudulent livestream broadcast on Input Output Group's YouTube channel on September 18, 2026, used branding from Project Catalyst, Cardano's genuine community-funding and grant program, to appear legitimate
- ▪Administration of Project Catalyst transferred from Input Output Group to the Cardano Foundation by June 2026, returning 2.06 million ADA to the Cardano treasury
IOG security warnings
- ▪Input Output Group did not publish a scam wallet address or disclose whether any users suffered verified financial losses from the September 18, 2026, livestream on its YouTube channel
- ▪Input Output Group posted a warning on its official X account advising users not to click links, send funds, or share personal information.
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