Aussie influencer Faze Nighthawk unmasks international gambling app as a suspected scam

An influencer has exposed a suspected scam using social media to target Australians with gambling addictions.

Amir Hawatt, who goes by the pseudonym FaZe Nighthawk, revealed in a post to social media on Friday he had been offered $20,000 to post a promotional video.

The video would have featured Hawatt reading a script spruiking an online gambling game over pre-recorded footage showing him winning $2500 in “five minutes” from a deposit of just $150.

Instead of simply declining the offer, Hawatt said he “acted as if I was interested in order to expose their tactics to you guys”.

“They had pretty much said ‘deceive your followers and try to make it seem like you were winning in order to get more clicks onto the website’,” he said.

He also shared screenshots of messages with a Polish representative of the supposed business, saying: “We’re keen on your Australian audience ... you’ve got heaps of it so we’re happy to pay really good money.

“The goal is to use the trust you have with your audience and make your deliverables as believable as possible — don’t make it seem like a paid advertisement.

“Just act as if you stumbled across the website and had good luck, and recommend the site to your followers.”

If you’d like to view this content, please adjust your Cookie Settings.

To find out more about how we use cookies, please see our Cookie Guide.

When pressed on why they wanted to exploit Australian audiences, the representative said it “generates the most profit for them”.

“These gambling companies know where the money is and because they’re operating from foreign countries they can get away with deceiving people’s followers,” Hawatt said.

He warned his followers to be wary of other influencers advertising similarly dodgy gambling websites, saying they’re “likely following the same exact script and trying to deceive you guys into depositing more money”.

Gambling scams, also known as “scambling”, cost Australians more than $1.6 million in 2025 according to ScamWatch.

The government-run agency warns Australians that scamblers “may offer high odds, bonus credits, free spins, insider tips, or special promotions that are not available elsewhere”.

“Gambling and betting scams involve fake betting offers, fake tipping services, copying real betting businesses, and illegal online gambling games,” ScamWatch says.

“You may have some early wins but, eventually, the scammers suspend your account and demand payments for fake fees or taxes.

“You may also be asked to provide identity documents, banking details or other personal information, which can then be misused for identity theft or other criminal activity. In the end, they often stop responding altogether.”

Scambling is particularly effective in Australian as the average adult bets and loses more per capita than any other country in the world.

According to the Australian Taxation Office, the average Australian lost $1635 in 2022, while the next closest country was Hong Kong with $1284 per person.