The founder of Cardano, Charles Hoskinson, has issued a direct warning after being publicly accused of being involved in a scam by an internet user. He claims that this accusation is not only unfounded but also, sadly, widespread. The event started when a person named Robin Engraf sent Hoskinson an email alleging that Gabriel Martin, an employee of Input Output had embezzled funds while pretending it was a trade withdrawal.
Engraf maintained that he had contact with the employee and months worth of chat logs and bank records for U.S. authorities to take action. “Does anyone want to tell Robin that he got scammed by someone over the internet and now he’s blaming a multi-billion dollar company for his carelessness and stupidity?” was Hoskinson’s unapologetic response.
He continued by emphasizing how readily people fall for get-rich-quick schemes and how they frantically look for someone else to blame when reality sets in. This, Hoskinson said, is by no means an isolated incident. Over the course of nearly 10 years, he has witnessed impersonation scams.
There are tens of thousands of emails like this, he said, stressing that the pattern is always the same: the victim sends money to a stranger after being promised enormous returns or exclusive opportunities, and when the scam falls apart they attack well-known public figures they believe must be involved.
Regarding the consequences, Hoskinson was equally clear: these scams flourish because people do not accept responsibility for their own role in making them possible. People get angry when they realize they have been taken advantage of because they believe they are going to get something for nothing, he said.
Additionally, he raised questions about whether Robin or others in comparable circumstances will ever take responsibility or express regret for falsely accusing him and his business of obtaining stolen goods. Therefore, the only deterrent is public humiliation, Hoskinson said, expressing his annoyance at being used as a scapegoat by online scammers for years. Falling for a blatant impersonation scheme is not a justification for defamation, and if something seems too good to be true, it most likely is. His warning is harsh but essential.
