Pokémon Responds After Hacker Compromises Its X Account to Hawk MemeCoin

On August 17, 2026, the official Pokémon X account on social media platform X was hacked by an unknown party. The hacker shared a post promoting a cryptocurrency memecoin, titled $POKEMON, which appeared as if it were an official Pokémon advertisement. The post suggested joining trainers worldwide to celebrate the brand's 30th anniversary and join the #Pokemon30 celebration. The fake post was up for approximately thirty minutes before it was taken down.

Several commenters recognized the scam immediately, but there were also several community notes suggesting the post was a scam. Soon after the incident, Pokémon issued a statement acknowledging that the X account had been compromised for a brief period. The statement said, "We’re aware that our X account was accessed without authorization and used to publish posts promoting a cryptocurrency.

Those posts were not created or approved by Pokémon and have been removed. We have secured the account and are investigating the incident. We’re sorry for the confusion and appreciate your patience."

Social media users expressed relief at the post's swift removal and some even shared jokes linking the hack to the popular Pokémon team, Team Rocket. However, the post was deleted shortly after being published, and there have been no further comments from the @Pokemon handle on X regarding the hack. It remains unclear if any damage was caused by the incident.

This is not the first time Pokémon has been digitally infiltrated; in late 2024, a hacker leaked a massive amount of internal Pokémon data after breaching GameFreak's servers. In 2025, hackers also released files from Pokémon Legends: Z-A, including gameplay videos of cut content and early builds of the game.

Thankfully, the latest incident did not cause as much damage as the previous hacks, and the official Pokémon X account is not the first to experience a hack by cryptocoin scammers. Other high-profile accounts have also been targeted by these hackers. The unnamed hacker from the GTA 6 leaks has also promoted a crypto scheme, although the gameplay footage they showcased is less impressive compared to the viral Netflix showcase that aired earlier today.

Virginia (she/her), IGN’s News Editor, has reported on games and entertainment for ten years, with a background in the fighting game community, influencer news, and viral online trends. Find her on Twitter @TheeMissGlaze.