The Central African Republic meme coin ($CAR) has seen a quick hype, after an explosive launch followed by mounting skepticism. Initially touted as a government-backed initiative, the project now faces allegations of deepfake involvement, a website takedown, and potential fraud.
On February 10, the official X (formerly Twitter) account of President Faustin-Archange Touadéra announced the launch of the Central African Republic meme coin. The president described the initiative as an experiment designed to unite people, support national development, and boost the country’s visibility on the global stage.
“Today, we are launching $CAR—an experiment designed to show how something as simple as a meme can unite people, support national development, and put the Central African Republic on the world stage in a unique way,” the president’s account posted.
The announcement quickly gained traction due to the country’s pro-crypto stance. Touadéra has been an advocate for Bitcoin adoption and was the second world leader to adopt BTC as legal tender. Given this background, many believed the Central African Republic meme coin could be a legitimate government initiative.
Deepfake Allegations Cloud the Launch
While the project saw massive initial hype, concerns soon emerged. Analysts began questioning the authenticity of the announcement video, suspecting it may have been AI-generated.
AI detection tools offered mixed results:
Seferbekov’s deepfake detection model indicated an 82% probability that the video was artificially generated.
Ensemble’s model also flagged it as suspicious.
However, Avatrify and Deepware’s tools found no evidence of AI manipulation.
These conflicting results fueled further debate about whether the Central African Republic meme coin was truly backed by the government or a well-executed scam.
Website and Social Media Suspensions Raise Red Flags
Shortly after the announcement, the official X account for $CAR was mysteriously suspended. The reason for the takedown was unclear, but it quickly caught the attention of crypto skeptics.
Hours later, President Touadéra’s X account acknowledged the suspension and assured followers that they were working with X to restore it.
Adding to the doubts, the project’s official website—car.meme—was suspended by Namecheap, a budget-friendly domain provider. Namecheap later confirmed that the site had been flagged as an “abusive service.”
Unusual Domain Registration Raises More Questions
Blockchain investigator Yokai Ryujin, founder of UnrevealedXYZ, pointed out a major red flag—the project’s website domain had been registered only three days before the announcement.
“A supposedly government-backed initiative would never use a cheap, anonymous domain provider like Namecheap and register it just days before the launch,” Ryujin noted.
The fact that Namecheap took swift action to shut down the site reinforced concerns that the Central African Republic meme coin may not have been a legitimate government project.
Despite Skepticism, CAR’s Market Cap Surged
Despite the growing controversy, the Central African Republic meme coin saw an initial surge in valuation, hitting a peak market cap of $527 million within hours of launch.
However, as doubts spread and media scrutiny increased, CAR’s valuation dropped to $460 million by the end of the day.
Similarities to Other High-Profile Crypto Scams
The timing of the Central African Republic meme coin controversy is notable, as the crypto space has recently witnessed a surge in celebrity-backed scam tokens.
Just last week:
The X accounts of former Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad and Solana DEX aggregator Jupiter were hijacked to promote fraudulent memecoins.
Both scams followed a familiar playbook—high-profile endorsements, a sudden website takedown, and social media account suspensions.
Many in the crypto community now wonder if the Central African Republic meme coin is part of the same orchestrated scam trend.
Is CAR a Legitimate Government Initiative or a Well-Orchestrated Scam?
At this stage, no official confirmation has been made on whether CAR is truly a government-backed project or a sophisticated scam. The mixed deepfake detection results, sudden website shutdown, and irregular domain registration all raise serious doubts.
Investors should exercise extreme caution when engaging with the Central African Republic meme coin.
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