MrBeast is a popular YouTuber who is known for his digital philanthropy and spontaneous giveaways. Over the years, the media personality has given large amounts of cash to random people, both in-person and on social media.
VERIFY reader Matt reached out to ask about a text message they received claiming to be from MrBeast. The message says, “I give charity to people so I'm giving out money to people because I can't reach out to everyone so if you get this text on your phone then you have been chosen to be a lucky winner.” It then instructs the recipient to text his manager, Reed Duchscher, a 12-digit code at a different phone number.
We found several posts online from other people who received the same message and who also wondered if it was real.
THE QUESTION
Are text messages claiming to be a giveaway from MrBeast real?
THE SOURCES
THE ANSWER
No, text messages claiming to be a giveaway from MrBeast are not real.
WHAT WE FOUND
Text messages that claim you’ve been randomly selected for a giveaway from YouTuber MrBeast are not real. MrBeast has warned of scams across his various social media channels and this specific message is part of a previously reported scam to the Better Business Bureau. The text messages also include several inconsistencies that point to them being scams.
The scammers typically seek to trick people into sending them money. Someone who was scammed out of $100 by the fake MrBeast text message reported the incident on the Better Business Bureau Scam Tracker. The report says that after texting the fake number for Duchscher, they were prompted to buy $100 worth of gift cards in order to be sent the monetary gift. Once the gift card information was sent, the scammer continued to ask for more money.
Posts online show that people have been receiving different variations of the scam text messages since as early as August 2023.
One red flag that these messages are a scam is the phone numbers used in them are not consistent. One post shows that the text message was sent from a 201 area code, which would point to a New Jersey sender. This message says to text MrBeast’s manager Reed Duchscher at a number with an 838 area code, which is in upstate New York. Another post shows the text sent from a 205 area code, pointing to a sender in Birmingham, Alabama. But the text message sent in by VERIFY reader Matt says to text Duchscher at a number with a 682 area code, which is the area code for Austin, Texas. Another text message posted includes a phone number from Tampa, Florida.
The message also has several grammatical errors, which the Better Business Bureau says is a key way to recognize a scam.
MrBeast’s name has been used in scams for years, and he’s made multiple posts online to warn his followers.
In 2019, MrBeast posted about accounts pretending to be him and giveaway scams using his name on Patreon, Facebook, YouTube and spam emails.
In 2020, MrBeast warned his followers of scam advertisements claiming to be from him on YouTube. In the post, he says “I will ONLY mention giveaways on my verified accounts. If it’s not verified, it’s not me.”
In 2021, MrBeast shared on Facebook about fake accounts using his name to scam people out of their personal information. The post says, “We would NEVER ask you to share any of this information, so please do not click on any links or respond to any fake accounts.”
Most recently, in October 2023, the YouTuber posted a warning about new deepfake scams.
MrBeast has links to his verified social media accounts on his official YouTube channel.
MrBeast’s manager, Reed Duchscher, has also posted about MrBeast scams and shared tips on how to avoid being tricked.
The BBB says “if an out of the blue offer sounds too good to be true, it probably is.”
The Federal Trade Commission adds that if you think a message could be real, instead of responding, you should first “contact the company using a website or phone number you know is real.”
For more information on how to spot scam and report text messages, click here.
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