- The messages were an apparent attempt to scam players to send Bitcoin money to the perpetrator’s address.
- “These table messages were unauthorized and Merge has the isolated incident fully contained.”
Messages sent out to players on PokerHost, a skin on the Merge Gaming Network, attempted to trick players into sending money to a Bitcoin address to make a deposit.
The message, using the software’s built-in messaging system that is delivered through a system tray popup, told players to “add ballance [sic] by Bitcoin and take a 25% discount.”
Players were instructed to contact a gmail.com address for further details.
Unlike other US-facing sites, most notably its primary competitor WPN, Merge Gaming does not support Bitcoin deposits. The messages were an apparent attempt to scam players to send Bitcoin money to the perpetrator’s address.
A statement from the network sent to players reads: “Merge does not manage cashier or processing services to licensees. No Merge licensee offers Bitcoin. These table messages were unauthorized and Merge has the isolated incident fully contained,”
It is not clear if the issue affected other skins on the network. Pokerfuse has confirmed that players on flagship Carbon Poker were unaffected. The are no known reports of anyone falling for the scam.
There has been no public comment as to how the scammers were able to compromise the system and send such internal system messages.
