Team Falcons star player Nikola “NiKo” Kovac addressed the Counter-Strike 2 community with an important warning about fraud. NiKo wrote about the situation on his X account. The post was in response to a fake YouTube ad that used NiKo's name and the Team Falcons brand to deceive fans. A similar situation had previously occurred with apEX from Vitality.

Details of the Scam

Scammers use modern technologies such as deepfake videos, fake websites, and clone accounts, promising prizes such as CS2 skins or $10,000. According to comments, scammers offer large sums of money or rare skins such as AWP Fade.

According to security data, such schemes become more active during major tournaments, such as IEM Dallas, in order to attract more victims. They use QR codes and fake links to steal Steam accounts or cryptocurrencies, which poses a serious threat to fans.

In his post on X, NiKo wrote:

Hey guys, both me and Falcons are aware about the scam ad that is going on on YouTube, please do not engage with it, don't enter into any giveaways or try to link your accounts. We will do our best to resolve it as soon as possible. Take care.

Nikola “NiKo” Kovac

A similar situation with apEX

Recently, Team Vitality captain Dan “apEX” Madeskler also faced a similar problem when scammers used his name and team brand for a fake giveaway on YouTube. These cases highlight the growing threat to esports, where scammers use the popularity of players to deceive fans. More details at the link.

A systemic problem in esports

This case is not isolated — similar scams have affected players such as s1mple and m0NESY, pointing to a systemic problem in esports. Team Falcons is calling for suspicious activity to be reported in order to stop scammers. The community is actively discussing the situation, emphasizing the importance of verifying sources and exercising caution online. These events highlight the need for increased security measures in esports, especially during major tournaments.