BEIT SHEMESH — Polymarket banned user accounts after The Times of Israel military correspondent Emanuel Fabian said Polymarket users attempted to bribe him and threatened to kill him. Fabian said the messages sought to influence how a Polymarket market tied to whether Iran struck Israel on March 10 would be resolved.

Polymarket is a prediction market with few guardrails on what people can bet on.

Fabian had reported earlier this month that an Iranian missile struck Israel, and he later wrote a blog post saying a missile hit an area roughly 500 meters from homes in Beit Shemesh. The harassment began with emails pressing him to revise that blog post, and the initial outreach was written in Hebrew and was polite. One message said, "Regarding your Times of Israel report that described today's launch as an 'impact' — Beit Shemesh Municipality and MDA (Magen David Adom) later corrected their reports to clarify that what fell was an interceptor fragment, not a full missile."

Another email said, "I have an urgent request regarding the accuracy of your report on the missile attack on March 10. I would really appreciate a response if possible." Fabian said he stood by his reporting, citing Israeli military information and video showing a large explosion that he believed was inconsistent with interceptor debris.

Fabian described repeated requests to change the wording of his report as intended to affect the market’s outcome. The harassment spanned email, X, Discord, WhatsApp, and backchannel outreach through another journalist, and some messages escalated into explicit threats. One message said, "If you do not correct this by 01:00 Israel time today, March 15, you are bringing upon yourself damage you have never imagined you would suffer."

Fabian went to the police and provided evidence, he said. Polymarket condemned the harassment and said the conduct violated its rules. Polymarket wrote on X that it banned the accounts for all involved and will pass their info to the relevant authorities.

People who wagered on whether Iran would strike Israel by March 10 on Polymarket still have not been paid, as the contract appears to remain in dispute. Polymarket is legally based in Panama and uses a complex, crypto-based process to resolve disagreements. Polymarket did not answer questions from The Times of Israel about the details of the investigation.

Separately, Polymarket has drawn scrutiny from U.S. lawmakers over concerns about manipulation, insider trading, and the difficulty of investigating crypto-based bets on prediction markets. Sen. Chris Murphy and Rep. Greg Casar said they will introduce the Bets Off Act, which would ban prediction market trades on terrorism, war, and assassinations.