There is very little accountability on social media today, with faceless accounts set up to sell drugs, weapons and even counterfeit cash. You know the type of accounts we are talking about. You will receive a follow on Instagram, check out the profile and find multiple mentions of getting rich quick, dabbling in the stock market or signing up for the latest pyramid scheme.
Like us, you probably delete the new follower almost as quickly as they joined your page, knowing they are a scammer and out to separate you from your hard-earned cash. It’s difficult to trust anyone online these days. The images of Rolex watches or a random person standing beside a supercar are an easy giveaway: an account shouldn’t be trusted, and you should sever ties immediately. But not all scammers are lazy. Some put in the effort needed to cover their back which can be quite convincing.
Social media sports betting tipsters fall into that category, and thousands of people have fallen for the tricks of scam tipsters over the years. Perhaps you have posted on social media regarding a sporting event you have attended or posted a winning bet slip at a trusted online bookmaker like Bovada sportsbook.
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Be on your guard
Within minutes the new follows, and friend requests start flooding in. Suspicious? Yeah, you could say that. In most cases, these are from tipsters promising a steady stream of winning predictions privately messaged to your account, which you can place bets on and collect the profits. Boosting your bank balance while watching sports is a near-perfect scenario for most of us, but can they be trusted? Most of the time, the answer is no.
There are a few different sports betting tipsters you will come across from time to time when using social media platforms. Some post more regularly than others, and some are far more convincing than others, but most can’t and shouldn’t be trusted, especially when money is involved. It pays to be on your guard at all times.
Below you will find three types of social media tipsters that you should avoid at all costs. We explain the tricks they use to win you over, the scams behind the scenes, and what you can do to protect yourself and your cash.
Fixed matches
These are the worst social media sports betting scammers, and it’s a great case of something being too good to be true. These types sell fixed matches from obscure football leagues and competitions, such as games in Africa. They contact people on social media claiming to have access to a match that has been fixed, either for a team to win, the correct score or player to be sent off. It sounds decent enough, but it’s all lies.
They don’t have any inside information, and what they do instead is send out random results such as a team to win to several accounts but make sure they cover all bases. You may be offered the first tip for free, but they will send, let’s say, 100 accounts predicting Team A will win, 100 accounts saying Team B will win, and 100 accounts predicting the draw. One result will be correct, and that’s 100 people believing this account knows their stuff. They will then ask you to pay for the next fixed football match tip.
Subscription service
This is a little more believable but should be ignored all the same. A tipster will enjoy a decent run of results and begin charging members a monthly subscription fee. Their recent results may look the part but ask yourself one thing, if they are rinsing the bookies every day, collecting cash hand over fist, why would they need your subscription cash?
Shared profits
An older style of con that still exists today. An account will tell you they have a great bet, but due to past success against the bookies, all their betting accounts have been closed down. How can you help? By placing the bet for them – you covering the stake, of course – and when the bet wins, you split the profits two ways. Great, but what if it loses?
