Empty whiskey bottles used for scamming on eBay

Emptied whiskey bottles are being filled with cheap liquor and sold on eBay for hundreds of dollars.

According to the New York Times, bottles from brands such as Pappy Van Winkle, Old Fitzgerald, and Macallan are being sold daily on websites such as eBay for significantly higher prices. 

Counterfeiters are paying as much as $380 for a bottle and reselling them with cheap alcohol at "way over $2,000," Hollywood writer and producer Adam Herz told Inside Edition in May.

"Part of the problem is the culture I see around bourbon, where it is about bragging rights and being able to Instagram a bottle you just bought," Herz told the New York Times. 

"Most people I see ending up with fakes are partly to blame themselves. Any good con man knows how to take advantage of someone's greed."

Currently, the whiskey industry is skyrocketing. This growth is what has resulted in an increased number of scammers.

Due to the incidents occurring frequently at such an alarming rate, social media accounts have been set up to help authorities trace the individuals responsible for these scams.

Earlier in September, distilleries such as Buffalo Trace and Mitcher's had released a warning, announcing the influx of bourbon scams and ways to avoid it.

However, most whiskey producers are not involved with the current situation, according to the New York Times. 

By getting involved, they would have to admit that it is, in fact, a serious issue and also "for fear of encouraging counterfeiters and discouraging interest in their own, legitimate products."