The official Pokémon X account experienced a security breach on August 17, 2026, when an unauthorized party gained access and posted a cryptocurrency promotion. The compromised post, which appeared to be an advertisement for the brand's ongoing 30th-anniversary celebration, directed users to a site promoting a "$POKEMON" memecoin.
The deceptive post remained live for approximately 30 minutes before being removed. While many users expressed skepticism and noted the suspicious nature of the promotion, the incident prompted a response from Pokémon.
"We’re aware that our X account was accessed without authorization and used to publish posts promoting a cryptocurrency," a statement from Pokémon read. "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."
Fans reacted to the news with a mix of relief and humor, with many jokingly attributing the hack to Team Rocket. However, a subsequent post from the official Pokémon account addressing the hack was also deleted shortly after publication, and no further updates have been provided.
This incident is not the first digital security lapse for the Pokémon brand. In late 2024, a significant leak of internal data from developer GameFreak exposed hundreds of gigabytes of sensitive information, including concept art and unreleased game details. More recently, in 2025, files from Pokémon Legends: Z-A were leaked, showcasing cut content and early game builds.
While this latest breach was less severe than previous data leaks, it underscores a recurring vulnerability. The Pokémon account is also the latest in a series of high-profile X accounts to be targeted by cryptocurrency scammers. Notably, the hacker responsible for the Grand Theft Auto VI leaks also previously promoted a crypto scheme.