Influencers lure millions of young people into the hands of scammers on Telegram

Several million young people are falling victim to scams on Telegram driven by well-known influencers. On the messaging service, young people are lured into speculating with online gambling and are deprived of thousands of euros, De Telegraaf reports.

Online gambling is carried out through so-called Matchfix groups on Telegram. These are chat groups in which the manipulation of sports competitions is discussed and advertised. The Matchfix groups claim that athletes, such as footballers or tennis players, are bribed to achieve a certain match result. And on this rigged game, the group members can bet, most of the time with a lot of stakes. Usually, these groups have several hundred thousand members, and criminals often join them.

Group names such as Matchfixing Fixed Tips, FixPro, and TimoCashout, which make their mark most in online gambling, should be a warning sign. Despite the losses that the young members make per game, the operators manage to convince their target audience. Firstly, by spreading pictures showing the luxurious life in Dubai with luxury real estate and expensive sports cars. It quickly becomes clear that the main target group is young men who want to make big money fast. Furthermore, the fraudulent operators use well-known influencers who are supposed to advertise their groups and thus ensure more reach and regular gaming.

The range of influencers is long, from supposed money experts to street rappers and former participants of the reality show Ex on the Beach. And these are only small influencers, who together have over half a million followers. The big fish promoting online gambling include Alex Soze, Dusty Taconis, Tim van Teunenbroek, and Elias Giannoccaro. On various social media platforms, they promote the rigged games and assure their followers that they are valid Matchfix groups where they too have made a profit. "I also play along, a lot of influencers participate," says Alex Soze. In addition, Dusty Taconis, tells his followers "I played match fixing again today, it was a big risk, but we made a good profit."

At the end of the day, the system works, even if the young players make higher losses. On the one hand, they trust the influencers, on the other hand, they hope for the same luxurious life that the operators regularly flaunt. Recent studies have also shown that influencers are a source of inspiration for many young people. After all, around a third of young people buy products recommended by influencers. "Their large number of followers shows that they are seen as an example by many," explains gambling expert Anouk Tuijnman of the Trimbos Institute.

Another catch in the fight against this online gambling is that most participants who have become victims of fraudulent operators do not report them to the police. Because according to the Public Prosecution Service (OM), they are also complicit. After all, anyone who tries to enrich themselves by manipulating games is liable to prosecution, even if it is a fraud, the OM explains.

The legal consequences for the influencers are also rather minimal since they are only guilty of fraud if they knew from the start that it was a fraud when they advertised for the gambling operators.