Team Vitality's CS2 captain, Dan Madesclaire, known as apEX, has issued a warning to the community via his X account. Unknown scammers launched a fake prank on YouTube using the team's brand and apEX's name. This has become a serious threat to fans, as such schemes can lead to the loss of personal data and accounts.

SCAM ALERT! There's a fake giveaway going around on YouTube using my persona and Team Vitality's brand. It's not ME. It's a SCAM. Deepfakes, fake sites, cloned accounts... they're pushing it far

Dan "apEX" Madesclaire in X

How the scam works

Scammers use modern technologies such as deepfake videos, fake websites, and cloned accounts to deceive users. They promise CS2-related prizes, such as skins or money, such as $10,000 or AWP Fade, as users vsmzin and Thesheep44 wrote in the comments to the post. According to many security resources, such schemes often intensify during large tournaments such as IEM Katowice 2025 to attract more victims. As noted, fraudsters use QR codes and fake links that steal Steam accounts or cryptocurrency.

Security recommendations

apEX urged the community to be cautious and not to share personal data if there is any doubt about the source's officialness. He emphasized:

Don't share your info, don't link your accounts unless you are sure it's official. Got a doubt? Just skip it.

Dan "apEX" Madesclaire in X

These tips can help you avoid losing your accounts or suffering financial losses.

This case is not the only one: users have noted that other players such as s1mple and m0NESY are also affected by similar scams, indicating a systematic problem in esports. Team Vitality calls for the reporting of suspicious activity to stop fraudsters. The community is actively discussing the situation, reminding us of the importance of verifying sources.