91Trust
Verified
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u/ArgentineBeautyonReddit3d ago
Polymarket paid influencers to fake winning bets, built dummy websites to pull it off
Trust Metrics
100
85
85
82
Accuracy100%
Framing85%
Context85%
Tone82%
Analysis Summary
Polymarket paid online creators to film fake winning bets on cloned dummy websites and post them as real trades — a Wall Street Journal investigation confirmed by five major outlets. The scheme used influencers to drive viral growth by showing fake profits; in one case an influencer claimed a $100,000 win on a bet that never actually occurred and would have lost money. This undercuts Polymarket's pitch as a transparent on-chain prediction market and raises questions about whether the platform's viral growth metrics are based on authentic user activity.
Claims Analysis (2)
“Polymarket paid influencers to fake winning bets”
WSJ investigation confirmed by TechCrunch, TechSpot, Ars Technica, Mashable, and Yahoo Finance. Multiple outlets report Polymarket paid creators to post deceptive content showing fake winning bets.
“Polymarket built dummy websites to pull off the deception”
Multiple sources confirm influencers filmed bets on cloned/dummy copies of Polymarket's website. TechSpot reports influencer Makihara filmed the wager on a 'dummy clone.' Ars Technica notes winning bets were made on cloned websites.
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