In an attempt to dupe unsuspecting users, fake online Amazon casinos have been using the image of Jeff Bezos. The platforms claim that the billionaire behind Amazon founded them. However, they have no real connection to Bezos or the company.
One site, called Amazon Slots, is running ad campaigns across various social media platforms in Italy. The ads feature Jeff Bezos and Khaby Lame, an Italian influencer. The ads display the faces of Bezos and Lame alongside promotions. They offer €1,500 free with no deposit and 200 free spins. These have been appearing on Facebook, Instagram, as well as Google.
The owners of Facebook and Instagram, Meta, generates more than 10% of its overall revenue, around $16 billion annually, by advertising scams, illegal gambling, and restricted products.
Internal emails revealed that Meta executives are aware of this. However, they have set limits on how much revenue they are willing to sacrifice to stop scams on their platforms.
Italy restricts gambling advertising and is currently in a legal battle with Google over gambling promotions appearing on YouTube. Since 2018, it has restricted gambling promotions, including any ads promoting gambling by sports or online.
In spite of this, the ads have been appearing on social media in Italy. The fake Amazon Slots app claims over 50,000 downloads. It is available on the App Store and Google Play Store, with a rating of 4.6 stars. It uses the logo of Amazon as a further way to appear genuine.
Yes, Amazon Slots is a real company. However, it is not affiliated with Amazon.com or Jeff Bezos. Yet it is unrelated to Amazon.com or Jeff Bezos, despite what some promotions or platforms might imply. Nonetheless, this uses jungle imagery instead of the logo of the online shopping site.
Amazon Slot Casino is another fake platform claiming to be founded by Bezos. Billing itself as The Official Slot Machine Amazon Experience, the website uses cartoon, as well as real image of Bezos.
