5 Ways to Spot a Fake Influencer Scam

Not that long ago, nobody had heard the word “influencer.” But now, it’s part of everyday language. Influencers are those people with strong social followings who can, effectively, “influence” public opinions and help brands get more eyes on their products and services.

Unfortunately, the rise of influencers and influencer marketing also brings with it a whole new swathe of scamming techniques. This guide looks at how fake influencer scams work and how to spot them.

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How Do Fake Influencer Scams Work?

These scams involve the use of fake influencers, which can be either people or bots designed to look like they’ve got a strong social presence. They might do this by buying many fake followers or having bot accounts padding their follow figures. Or, they could create an account using the photos and identity of an actual influencer and pretend to be them.

There are even cases of brands creating their own fake influencer accounts to market their products without having to pay a real influencer.

As for the crux of the scam itself, it usually involves the fake influencer tricking brands or individuals into giving them money or free stuff in the hopes that they’ll get something out of it because of the influencer’s alleged online clout. In reality, since the profile is fake, the investing brand or individual ends up losing their money or goods with nothing in return.

Signs of Fake Influencer Scams

Sign 1. Lack of Engagement on Influencer’s Posts

Have you ever seen accounts that have huge follower figures but very low engagement numbers on their actual posts? They might have 50,000 or 100,000 people following them, but if you look at the actual posts, there might only be a few dozen comments and likes. That’s a clear sign that many followers are likely fake, bots, or completely inactive accounts.

Sign 2. Followers That Seem Like Bot Accounts

If you have any suspicions about a possible fake influencer account, it’s worth taking a look at the accounts following them. Click on a few of the profiles to get a look at them. Often, with fake influencers, a large part of their audience will be bots or fake accounts that have generic names (often with many numbers) and not much or any actual content of their own.

Sign 3. Up-Front Payment Demands

Fake influencer scams rely on the scammer getting paid up-front for their services, as they don’t really have any services to offer. So, if you meet a suspicious influencer who is demanding that you pay them first before they do any posts or create any kind of content for you, that’s usually a warning sign.

Sign 4. No Collab History

An easy way to tell the real influencers from the fakes is to look through their post history. Real influencers who have been in the business a while have probably already done collabs and work for various brands, and you should be able to see that content still up on their pages. If there are no past collabs, it could just be that you’re dealing with an inexperienced influencer, or they might be fake.

Sign 5. Inconsistent Posting Habits

Fake influencers and fake social media users in general tend to be inconsistent. They might go through periods of posting plenty of content and then suddenly go dormant for weeks at a time without any new posts or updates. That’s usually a symptom of a bot account, as real people, especially influencers who care about their profiles, post on a more regular basis.

How to Protect Yourself From Fake Influencer Scams

Scrutinize every alleged influencer profile before investing in it or working with them.
Look for influencers with a proven track record of collabs and success.
Don’t pay up-front fees for influencer services.
Ask for analytics to prove an influencer’s following – don’t rely on follower counts alone.

Report the Scam

You can report accounts impersonating real people on most big social sites, like Instagram. Some sites also have other reporting tools you can use to let them know when users are being deceitful. Other avenues include:

Report to the FTC.
Report to the FBI Internet Complaints Center.

How to Protect Yourself More

You’ll also get regular emails from the Scam Detector team, keeping you informed and up-to-date on new scams, threats, red flags, and protective measures to take.

Read up about other types of social media scams so you know what to watch out for and how to stay safe.

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