Being Scammed as An Influencer
May 3 2021.
“Being online” is becoming a less farfetched phrase as it once was, and with this, comes change. Social media influencing is one of the changes that has arisen due to this idea of “being online.” This form of influencing is completely altering the way businesses operate. A social media influencer is an individual who has a decent sized platform of followers, has engagement with them, and has established credibility. They are able to use these attributes to their advantage, they have a pull with their followers, almost as if they can influence them to do things. According to Edelman's 2019 Trust Barometer, 63% of consumers trust influencers more than a brands' own advertising. Richard Edelman, the president and CEO of the public relations firm, recently told CBSN that, "People are saying, 'I want to hear it from someone who I identify with, not somebody who is just famous,' " which stems from them having a bigger sway on their followers. He also said that, "Influencers are six times more powerful than celebrities,” and it is easy to assume that this is because people prefer someone who “identifies” with everyday people. This plays a great role for businesses because businesses depend on marketing and advertising in order to make maximum profit, and they can use these influencers to sell their products; the problem with trusting in today’s world is fraud. Many accounts are followed by ghost (inactive), and fake (made for likes) accounts. These accounts lead to companies having to pay extra money to these influencers, for less of an outcome. Mat Zucker from Forbes, attended the Influencer Fraudnomics Summit, after this event he wrote an article about the information relayed. He quoted Professor Cavazos, by writing about this fraudulent extra money by including, “it’s like a 15% tax on whatever you do in influencer marketing.”
According to cbsnews, Influencers with a huge following, can earn $250,000 per social media ad posting, but because of these faulty accounts, $38,000 of that serves no benefit to companies, due to the fact that they are paying for the number of followers (active or not); however, what does it take to become an influencer? Not only do you need a platform, but you also need to meet the criteria of business owners. You have to be an account that fits the demographics for companies. If you do, they will end up contacting you to be an ambassador, they can send you products to try out, and all you have to do is post images with them. These influencers get paid to promote brands, yet sometimes, they are promoting unethical companies. Some companies are selling knock-off brands, which has become an issue over the years. In a video from BBC, Jenny Davies from Liverpool Trading Standards believes that, “Influencers that are advertising these products really need to take a hard look and to recognize what they are wearing and what they are advertising.” During this video, influencer Tyne Lexy Clarson was asked about this topic, and she said that “influencers do need to take a second look and make sure they’re double checking everything;” however, she followed that up with saying she would still buy these knock-off products because she knows they’re “not real.”
Over time, fraudulent companies have started to pop up more frequently, they bank on taking advantage of individuals. These companies will try to communicate with you through direct messaging, commenting, emailing, etc. They try to get you to be an “ambassador” for their company, but it comes with a twist. Instead of the company sending you the products, you have to purchase them with a discount code. People fall for this trick, and think they will gain a bunch of followers, but in reality, most of their followers are fake. I direct messaged a few people asking them if they have any stories about being scammed from buying from these types of companies. These were featured individuals on the @pierre.arden and @thefriendlycup Instagram accounts, which appeared like a scam. This is because these accounts sent direct messages that seemed too good to be true. From there, @mitchpymont responded with, “There is a lot of scams out there on Instagram for sure." @sodaniellerenee responded back with, “Many red flags were raised AFTER they posted me.” She also explained that, it was a lesson for her, as she doesn’t want her name “attached to any company that may be misleading others or taking their money.”
From there, I reached out to social media influencer, Devin Bender, in order to hear about her experience with social media, and how she deals with companies who are just scammers. She has been “working with brands for about 3-4 years,” and does paid/unpaid influencer work. She believes that “it’s important to believe in the brands you’re promoting.” She understands that “there are many accounts that are trying to scam people, but it is pretty easy to figure out.” She looks “out for professionalism when brands reach out.” If someone emails you, “without any branding or comments on your post it is a scam.” She also pointed out that, “there are brands that reach out trying to just offer a "discount code" to be a brand ambassador which is definitely not a brand I would work with.” She noted that, “If they are ever asking you to pay them, that's when you know it's not in your best interest.” If you are a social media influencer, and more of a novice, she advised that you make “sure you truly love the brand” and to not make it about the money. Also, a tip for growing accounts is to “be aware of scams,” and to “always ask for a contract or write one yourself.” To further my research, I created two Instagram polls: “Have you ever been contacted to represent a brand on Instagram (Direct mails/email/comments under photo),” and “Did these companies seem like a scam or sketchy?” The results were just as expected:
The responses from these polls allow me to make the claim that, the individuals that have been contacted to represent a brand on Instagram, all think the companies are sketchy or a scam. It is important to realize that we are vulnerable to these accounts. One should take the time to guarantee that these companies are the real deal, and not just trying to get your money. As an influencer, it is vital to make sure to take the steps to decrease the likelihood of a fraudulent company scamming you.