Whiskey Scams are so out of Hand That There are now Social Media Accounts Devoted to Tracking Them

As whiskey scams remain on the rise, social media accounts dedicated to exposing them have begun popping up. (Photo: Netflix)

Whiskey scams have been on the rise lately. Far more than just the theft of casks and reselling of stolen bottles, whiskey scammers have moved to selling bottles they never intend to ship. It’s gotten so bad that there now are social media accounts solely devoted to tracking and exposing them.

@WhiskeyScam on Twitter and @bourbonwhiskyscammers on Instagram are two accounts dedicated to busting scammers. @WhiskeyScam maintains a list of all parties it has exposed as scammers. It also tags in its bio the handles of Twitter accounts it has determined to be active scammers.

@bourbonwhiskyscammers posts screenshots of Instagram scam accounts and direct-message conversations from scammers. It welcomes user-submitted screenshots exposing scammers.

As whiskey’s popularity continues to soar, so too do the number of scammers looking to take advantage of consumers’ desire for fine whiskeys. Last month, Buffalo Trace released a statement on the rising scams, offering advice to avoid getting scammed. In the same week, Joe Magliocco, the president of Michter’s Distillery, and Kenny Coleman, the co-host of the popular “Bourbon Pursuit” podcast, were quoted in a WHAS11 article discussing the rising scams.

These social media accounts and the recent advice from Buffalo Trace, Magliocco and Coleman all are tools you can use to avoid being scammed if you’re on the market to buy whiskey on the secondary market. If you are looking to buy a nice bottle of whiskey online, be sure it’s from a trusted source. Buffalo Trace gave this solid advice: If the price looks too good to be true, it probably is. Make sure you’re careful, or you might end up with a bottle of counterfeit whiskey — or an empty bottle.

Even more importantly, if someone reaches out to you offering to sell whiskey via Twitter or Instagram… it’s almost certainly a scam.

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