Hoskinson's deepfake says "send ADA, get 2x back" — IOG tells users to slam the YouTube tab 🚪

Input Output Group, the engineering company behind the Cardano blockchain, has issued an urgent warning directing users to stay away from the IO Group YouTube channel after it broadcast a manipulated livestream impersonating founder Charles Hoskinson.

The livestream, which had been running for nearly two hours as of the alert on Friday, posed as a town hall for Project Catalyst, Cardano's decentralized community innovation fund and grant program. It featured what the company described as a suspected AI-manipulated video of Hoskinson urging viewers to send funds by scanning a QR code under the promise to "double your wealth."

"Please avoid interacting with the IO Group YouTube channel until further notice," Input Output Group said in a post on its official X account. The company instructed users not to click links, send funds or share personal information in response to any content appearing on the channel while the incident is investigated.

Giveaway scams using deepfake videos of prominent crypto figures have become a recurring tactic on social media platforms, with fraudsters relying on cloned likenesses and bogus promotional QR codes to redirect victims to external wallet addresses. Cardano, which trades under the ticker $ADA, has not reported any impact on its protocol or on-chain operations tied to the livestream.

Input Output Group did not immediately specify when the YouTube channel would be restored or confirm the scope of impersonated content distributed. Users seeking information about Project Catalyst were directed to the project's verified communication channels.