Have you noticed that everyone’s been sharing the same Instagram on their stories in the past 2 days? Many people wonder what’s been happening — and, more importantly, if the advertised deal is genuine. Well, here’s the answer: it’s LEGIT! Participants do indeed have a chance to win $10,000 by simply sharing the post. Read on for all you need to know about this raffle.

American YouTuber, Jimmy “MrBeast” Donaldson, posted May 7^th on Instagram that everyone can join a celebratory raffle by sharing his post and tagging a friend in the comments:

“It’s my birthday, so I’m giving away $50,000 to 5 followers! ($10,000 each!) All you have to do is share this to your story and tag someone in the comments! Also, if you don’t follow me I can’t dm you the money if you win. Winners will be picked in 72 hours.”

This giveaway campaign has created a real buzz, with millions of people worldwide flocking to their Instagram to take part (excluding people from New York state, though).

MrBeast’s $50,000 Birthday Giveaway Is NOT a Scam

Also known as a philanthropist, MrBeast has been enthusiastic about charity. For example, controversial though it was, he previously donated money to help 1,000 blind people get cataract surgery. Furthermore, he has a YouTube channel called Beast Philanthropy, from which MrBeast donates all profits and revenue to charities. That’s why we can say his birthday giveaway campaign is legitimate and safe, and you will get your money!

Unfortunately, on May 9^th, the giveaway post was removed by Instagram, so hard luck if you didn’t join the campaign in time! Before it was taken down, it had received over 13 million likes and 14 million comments! MrBeast has also announced that he will double the number of raffles from 5 to 10 lucky draws. Let’s wait and see who will be the winners!

Keep an Eye Out for Impersonator Scams!

Although MrBeast’s birthday giveaway is legitimate, we still need to bear in mind that not all online giveaway campaigns are safe. Take MrBeast for example — back in 2022, there were many phishing attempts using the disguise of MrBeast’s generous name. Helpfully, MrBeast published a Tweet to warn his followers about fake YouTube ads leading victims to bogus giveaway pages:

These fake giveaway pages are actually phishing pages, designed to steal your personally identifiable information (PII): email address, Social Security number, credit card number, and more. With your stolen information, scammers can commit identity theft and other crime. Don’t let them!

Sample scam URLs to watch out for:

• mb-1k[.]net
• 1000-mbest[.]com
• beast-star[.]com
• mb-22[.]xyz

Tips to Stay Safe Online

• Make sure you are sharing information from a verified account (with blue check mark!).
• Requests for detailed personal information are a major red flag.
• Reach out to official websites directly for help if in doubt.
• Be alerted with Trend Micro ID Protection if any of your PII gets leaked.   
• NEVER use links or buttons from unknown sources! Use Trend Micro ScamCheck to detect scams with ease: ScamCheck is an all-in-one browser extension and mobile app for detecting scams, phishing attacks, malware, and dangerous links — and it’s FREE!

Check out this page for more information on ScamCheck.

Given you’ll be required to enter personal information on these kinds of platforms, ID Security will also ensure you’re never the victim of a data breach.

And as ever, if you’ve found this article an interesting and/or helpful read, please do SHARE it with friends and family to help keep the online community secure and protected.