The YouTube account for the game Dota 2 was briefly compromised a few hours ago. The platform promoted a cryptocurrency launched on Solana, called dota2coin.
The Dota 2 YouTube account promotes a cryptocurrency
A fake livestream was broadcast on the YouTube account of the video game Dota 2 during the night. It promoted a new cryptocurrency apparently linked to the game, dota2coin. The video informed followers of the creation of this “memecoin” and encouraged them to buy it quickly.
The scammers also cast a wide net, hacking the account of PGL, an esports tournament organizer that hosts Dota 2 tournaments, among others.
On the latter account, another livestream featured a fake video of Michael Saylor, CEO of Strategy, also promoting Dota2coin. Here too, the video was quickly removed.
A token that pumped before crashing
The cryptocurrency, which is very real, is still listed on Pump.fun, Solana’s memecoin launcher. It seems that the maneuver led to some purchases, if we are to believe the price of dota2coin.
It rose 69% immediately between its launch and the publication of the fake livestreams. But the token has since fallen, losing 40% from its peak.
At this stage, neither Dota 2 nor Valve accounts have commented on the hack. The livestreams were quickly removed, and it appears that the teams have regained control of the affected accounts.
Unfortunately, this type of scam is common: several well-known YouTube accounts have been affected by hijackings over the years. Improvements in generative artificial intelligence technologies have also made it possible to create particularly credible fake videos.
This is therefore an opportunity to remind everyone that no major player in video games, tech, or other fields ever releases a cryptocurrency without warning. Furthermore, incentives to “buy quickly” are always highly suspicious. In other words, if the opportunity seems urgent, it’s probably because someone is trying to play on your FOMO!
