Recently, Gamblers.monster service surfaced, promoting itself as a platform where you can safely keep cryptocurrency and other assets. I managed to gather credible supporting information that clearly confirms it is, in fact, a deceptive service.
Regardless of the promises of the most easy, dependable, and client-friendly service, Gamblers.monster does not fulfill any of them. In fact, all this is just a shiny wrap around a blatant scam, which takes your money and never gives them back. Any tales about gifts, backing from celebrities etc are absent as well.
Gamblers Scam Overview
Originally, Gamblers poses as a crypto trading & cryptowallet platform with remarkably low commission fees. Another bright selling point for this site is partnerships with celebrities that are known in the crypto world. Elon Musk, Bill Gates, Vitalii Buterin, Warren Buffet – the site claims having significant support from them. To make these claims look more realistic, con actors use deepfake videos with those celebs advertise the scam as if it was the best thing in the world. For known reasons, Elon Musk is the most common among them. But, as I mentioned above, all this is just a blatant wrap around a transparent scam.
Gamblers Scam
Initially, Gamblers shares the layout of many equivalent websites. There are quite a few examples, like Gametop, Getxwin or Goldenbet. They are completely identical in terms of graphic elements, with minor discrepancies in the website header. Other details, and at times even crypto wallet addresses, are the same. Presumably, all these deceptive websites are led by the same team of swindrels.
Cryptocurrency Scam Summary
| Website | Gamblers.monster |
| Hosting | AS13335 Cloudflare, Inc. United States, San Francisco |
| IP Address | 104.21.22.156 |
| Threat Type | Scam/Fraud |
| Scam Type | Fraudulent offers of cryptocurrency services |
How the Gamblers Scam Works?
Gamblers is a part of a extensive cryptocurrency scam scheme that started circulating actively in 2023. Rascals who stand behind it use numerous website designs, which still share the identical overall layout. Another shared element are the ways the scams like NAME are promoted, and the manner all this ends up to the victim of the scam. To reach peak efficiency, frauds apply complex psychological tricks that make the user believe in the validity of the website. But let’s review them one by one.
Step 1: Promotion
To begin the scam, criminals establish and fill accounts on well-liked social media platforms. They generally aim at Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and TikTok. Subsequently, the advertising campaign starts. Using bots and sponsored advertisements (when achievable), scam actors boost the visibility of their scam activities to potential victims. And as I said, fraudsters do not disdain using deepfake for creating clips with the aforementioned celebrities that advertise their scam to the public. To boost the folks even more, frauds claim the bonus for every user who enrolls the service immediately.
Promotions of cryptoscams like Gamblers in TikTok. Most of these videos are AI-generated deepfakes
Step 2: Gaining Traffic
After following the promotions, victims end up on a page filled with appealing offers. “Crypto starts with Gamblers”, “Your crypto savings are secured with Gamblers, “Start earning with Gamblers – they look rather reliable. To heat up users and make them proceed to step 3, scammers say that retrieving the promised bonus requires registration. And as nothing questionable happens at this point, unaware users happily proceed – especially as the bonus appears to be right behind the corner.
At this point, it is possible to get away from the scam without any losses. Before you register using your personal information, rascals will not earn even a nickel from your presence on the website.
Step 3: Data Gathering
This is where the main fraud action begins. As I just said, deceivers bait folks into registration for bonuses. And all the personal information needed for it – username, email, cryptocurrency wallet address – are valuable for user identification. Only by gathering this information and selling it further into the Darknet, crooks can earn quite a penny. Nonetheless, their plans go much further.
As it turns out, you cannot use the promised bonus right away. To make it at least usable for cryptocurrency purchases, the user should top up the account with the equivalent sum. At this point, the final stage of the scam kicks in.
Step 4: Requesting funds
It is obvious that any cryptocurrency purchases require you to have money on your account. In the case of Gamblers, users are also compelled to top up to claim the bonuses. And these top ups is what creates the majority of the cash flow to this scam website. By topping up the account, users hope to get the promised gift (usually $500-1000 in USDT), and may start engaging on this website hoping to use all the transferred money and withdraw them.
This is where the victim notices the problems. When comparing the actual cryptocurrency wallet vs what the website says, you can notice that no transactions are done whatsoever. And then, when you’d try to pull out the funds from your account, the scam is finally uncovered to the user.
Step 5: Escaping from Funds Withdrawal
Needless to say that swindlers have zero intentions to return your money. Though to make the fraud look more realistic, they’ve developed a whole bunch of reasons to decline the wireout request. Most of them repeat what KYC guidelines say, but for the Gamblers.monster they are here exclusively to make the withdrawal impossible.
By requesting your personal data, scammers just stall hoping for you to accept the loss and stop contacting them. If you don’t – well, there are multiple other checks you should go through before getting your grand back. And every check will uncover more and more info of yours, which – you guessed it right – will be then sold on the Darknet. Never reveal your real info to strangers!
Signs of Scam
I gathered several facts that point at the scammy nature of the Gamblers.monster. Actually, there are a lot of scams that fall under the same points, so they are pretty much universal.
- Cryptocurrency-Only Transactions. Gamblers.monster insists on cryptocurrency payments exclusively, excluding conventional methods like bank transfers. This strategy ensures anonymity for the scam and eliminates any possibility of seeking refunds.
- Dubious Company Credentials. Gamblers arouses suspicion by failing to provide critical information about ownership, location, and legal registration. The lack of valid contact details and the recent creation of domain and social media profiles cast doubt on its legitimacy.
- Baseless Hype Generation. Gamblers resorts to fabricating non-existent achievements, such as contracts with Coinbase or endorsements from Elon Musk, to manipulate emotions and enhance the perception of potential returns, enticing victims to invest more.
- Fictitious Celebrity Association. Gamblers employs a deceptive tactic by falsely associating itself with well-known figures like Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos, Mr. Beast, and Mark Zuckerberg. Additionally, the scam falsely claims partnerships with established entities like Coinbase, Binance, or MetaMask to bolster its false credibility.
- Potential Ponzi-Like Model. The scam operates on a pyramid-style referral system disseminated through social media, benefiting only initial participants and relying on later investments to sustain the illusion.
- Unrealistic Profit Promises. Promising improbable returns of 50-100-200%, Gamblers capitalizes on the desire for high profits. However, the tumultuous nature of the cryptocurrency market renders such gains implausible, solidifying Gamblers.monster as a definite scam.
What Should I do as a Victim?
If you had to deal with Gamblers site and fell victim to that scam, there are still some steps to take. They will make further scam attempts harder, and also boost the knowledge about that scam among folks.
- Secure Your Actions. Begin by promptly reporting the scam to appropriate local authorities tasked with handling financial fraud. Notify wallet providers and engage with social networks’ technical support teams. By taking these measures, you contribute to making the scammers’ operations significantly more difficult.
- Expand Awareness. Extend your efforts by sharing the scam information with your close friends. This action has a parallel effect to reporting to the authorities, as disseminating details about fraudulent crypto services reduces the potential victims they can deceive.
- Gather Evidence. Preserve comprehensive evidence by capturing screenshots and saving all pertinent data linked to the deceptive website. Collect the URL, screenshots of the main page, login interface, end-user license agreement (EULA), account top-up menu, and wallet addresses. These materials could prove invaluable for authorities in their pursuit of the scammers.
- Explore Refund Possibilities. While cryptocurrency payments generally fall outside the scope of refund policies within most banks, it’s worth investigating the potential for a refund in specific circumstances. Maintain optimism until you definitively confirm the loss.
- Convert Mistake into Wisdom. Transform your financial setback into a valuable learning experience. Treat your loss as an investment in understanding the tactics of crypto scam sites. Familiarize yourself with their key characteristics, how they lure individuals, and the grandiose promises they make. Armed with this knowledge, you’ll be well-equipped to recognize and avoid falling into future traps without incurring further losses.
Scan your system for possible malware infections
Beware of cross scams! Scam actors can use your trust to make you download some stuff or interact with certain documents. It may be a trap that installs malware to your system. There are no moral barriers or limits for these scoundrels.
Throughout the duration of the scam, its actors may get in touch with you with particular files. Alternatively, they may propose you to set up “cryptocurrency wallet applications” or “browser extensions” to streamline access to your crypto funds. As we previously determined, these scammers have no plan of giving back your funds. So, what can these messages and browser plugins represent? You guessed – this is another component of the scam designed to entice you into deliberately installing destructive programs onto your device.
Both extensions and files attached to emails can function as a carrier for diverse malware. In this scenario, I foresee the presence of spyware and stealers among all forms of malicious programs. While it is not obligatory for scammers to distribute malware, the chance is always above zero. As stated, their morality is of negligible importance, and their dignity is already seriously marred. They have nothing to give up and intend to maximize revenues.
