A scam that uses Discord and other social media channels to promote fake gaming sites has been exposed online.
An investigation revealed a network of more than 1200 sites that all use the same chatbot API key, revealing a single backend powering all domains.
The scam posts advertisements to claim a $2,500 bonus at a crypto casino, but uses an advance fee scheme to lure users into making a “verification deposit” of $100 in crypto to allow them to claim the bonus.
In order to appear legitimate, the ads feature social media personalities such as Mr. Beast promoting the fake gaming platforms.
One ad showed a fake BBC site with an article written by a genuine BBC reporter, James Chater. The headline read, “World-famous YouTuber MrBeast is launching an exciting new challenge! He has introduced a unique promotional offer on his new site GAMBWEX.COM . By using the promo code “BONUS” you can instantly claim a $2,500.”
The GAMBWEX site remains active and features Mr. Beast on its landing page in a bid to dupe unsuspecting users. A search reveals the domain was first registered in June, and other domains in the network have also been registered recently.
17-Year-Old Developer Exposes Network
A 17-year-old developer, going by the username Thereallo, exposed the scam network to Krebsonsecurity. Thereallo operates multiple Discord servers and began the investigation after a flurry of complaints from users reporting spam messages from the sites.
“We were being spammed relentlessly by these scam posts from compromised or purchased [Discord] accounts,” Thereallo said. “I got frustrated with just banning and deleting, so I started to investigate the infrastructure behind the scam messages. This is not a one-off site, it’s a scalable criminal enterprise with a clear playbook, technical fingerprints, and financial infrastructure.”
The network functions by generating a unique Bitcoin wallet for each gaming domain.
“This is a decoy wallet,” Thereallo explained. “Once the victim deposits funds, they are never able to withdraw any money. Any attempts to contact the ‘Live Support’ are handled by a combination of AI and human operators who eventually block the user. The chat system is self-hosted, making it difficult to report to third-party service providers.”
Scam Uses Real Gambling Sites to Appear Genuine
In addition to using social media personalities, the scam also uses real online casinos to make users believe the sites are new versions of the genuine gambling sites.
One Reddit user reported being scammed after reading “some article insinuating it was another stake.us drake casino. Click the link, take their 2500 cash bonus.”
The user went on to detail that due to financial desperation, they made two deposits of $150 in the hope that the promise of $2500 was legitimate, but of course, they never recieved any funds.
