The Betting Scene: New Email Scam



A recent email that appeared to come from a sportsbook is another example of a scam on the Internet.

Email scam provides BTC address

Scams have been perpetrated online almost since the beginning of the Internet. Nearly all of them start with some kind of email, enticing the user to click a link or to send money. The one that has been circulating for years involves a prince from a far away African county who has 10 million plus to send to you. Just click the link and become rich, right??

Unfortunately, scammers often seek out known databases of people with very targeted, very real looking messages. We've seen them for Dell computers, car insurance and sadly, sports betting. But with today's use of cryptocurrency by many of the top online sportsbooks, it was just a matter of time until we saw a sportsbook scam involving Bitcoin.

The email looks like it is coming from a legitimate online sportsbook, complete with branded graphics and rules to claim the bonus. Here's the message:

sportsbetting email scam bitcoin

To many this may look legit, but upon further review, it is not just a scam, but a poorly disguised one. Let's break down this email, overlooking the errors in grammar. Here are some glaring issues that should let players know this is a scam and not a real email offer from a sportsbook.

Hint #1 - No rollover requirements

There is not a gambling house in the world that gives away a bonus without some type of play-through requirement. For an offer of 150% Bonus, the typical rollover would be 15X or better. Getting a message with a no-rollover bonus of more than 20% is going to be a scam 99% of the time.

Hint #2 – No Links

The message that we received had no links back to the sportsbook that allegedly was providing the 150% Bonus. No way to click on the 'login to your account', no link on any of the images and no links anywhere to the sportsbook. For online gambling companies, they key is getting a player to login and bet. No legitimate offer would come without links to login and deposit or place a wager.

Hint #3 – Send the Bitcoin, then login??

Every reputable site will have players login to a cashier to send in funds. At the very least, when sending any type of cryptocurrency, login to get a crypto address. But since one was provided here, maybe that will fool unsuspecting players to send money first, login second. No reputable sportsbook would waste valuable BTC addresses sending them out in the hope that they get used.

Hint #4 – Common Sense

Unless this email is sent exclusively to one person, common sense would say how do I know that this BTC address is unique to me and my deposit? The email we received looked like standard email blast, without customization. The greeting of "Hey" was enough to see that. The only way to ensure that your deposit is accepted and put into your account at a sportsbook is to use one, unique crypto currency address. Every sportsbook requires a fresh, unique BTC or ETH address when making a withdrawal, so it would be common sense to expect one when sending in funds. Otherwise, how would they know what deposit goes to what account?

Final Hint: Sender's email address

First off, if you don't know a sender's email address or at least sending domain (after the @ symbol) don't open any emails! And if you are getting an offer email from MyBookie, BookMaker or BetOnline, it should come from @mybookie.ag, @bookmaker.eu or @betonline.ag.

Staying Safe Online 

Player lists have been floating around for years offshore. Either disgruntled employees taking them or sportsbook going out-of-business and selling the list off as an asset, if you've played online in the last 20 years, your email address and the fact that you are a sports bettor is floating out there. So, blind offers require extra due diligence.

Anyone who receives an offer in email from a sportsbook should check it out with their book. Login to your online sportsbook and hit their chat or send an email to verify the offer BEFORE sending any cryptocurrency.

And in the case of unsolicited email offers, always check with the sportsbook or contact us here at OSGA. We've been sniffing out sportsbook scams for over 20 years.

Check back for The Betting Scene, as our occasional articles will highlight new items of interest in the world of online sports betting.


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