WSJ: Fake Websites, Fake Trades, Real Promotion: The Traffic Scam of Polymarket
A Wall Street Journal investigation found that prediction market platform Polymarket used a deceptive marketing campaign involving dozens of paid creators, mostly college students, to fabricate a narrative of easy, high-profit betting to attract U.S. users.
The creators produced over 1,100 social media videos showing themselves placing bets and celebrating large, fake wins—totaling nearly $900,000 in fabricated profits—on simulated versions of the Polymarket website. These "poiymarket" clone sites, created by Polymarket, were nearly indistinguishable from the real site but contained subtle errors. The creators, paid $2,000-$3,000 monthly, were allegedly instructed not to disclose their paid partnership. The campaign, managed with a marketing contractor, also employed a "slicer" army to virally repost content, amassing over 140 million views. Videos sometimes highlighted the ease of insider trading on the platform.
Polymarket, which has been barred from offering its core crypto platform in the U.S. since 2022, stated it is committed to accurate, fair, and transparent markets and plans a comprehensive audit of its promotional content. The fake websites were taken down after the WSJ's inquiry.
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