Fake brands + Scam collabs are everywhere
Fake brands looking to scam budding Instagram influencers with “collaboration” deals are everywhere. They pop into DMs, leave comments and even go as far as sending emails to appear legitimate. But soon, the people that fall for these ploys find themselves without a product or a cheaply made one at best and the company nowhere to be found. Here’s how to spot fake brands and scam collabs on Instagram!
Also check out my guide on how to reach out to brands you love to land that collab!
First, let me explain my **cough cough** expertise in this area by sharing a sad story with you all.
There once was a very excited, aspiring Instagram influencer who dreamed of modeling around the world and landing collabs with top companies. Then came along XX company (insert any of the funky names fake companies put out there) and offered her a FREE product along with a shoutout on their account. All in exchange for paying the shipping costs.
Sure, it looked legit. They had enough followers and gorgeous models in their swimsuits. It was only $15 for shipping, and their suit obviously cost way more! What could go wrong? Everything. The product showed up in cheaper-than-cheap see-through white material that didn’t fit. And when I went to find out what had happened, the site was gone and they never responded to my email.
Fast-forward and I was getting more and more of these free product, “ambassadorship” and discounted offers daily. Only this time I knew better and researched, almost always finding out they were scams.
So how can you protect yourself from this happening to you? Read my tips on how to spot FAKE brands + SCAM collabs below:
Red Flags:
They offer a “Free Product” in exchange for shipping.
Ladies & Gents: NEVER pay for shipping in exchange for a “collaboration” or “exposure”. In reality, most of these companies will either never give you the product you ordered or send you something worth way less than you paid for and then disappear. So many women have had this happen so please, no matter how good of a deal it seems, don’t take the bait! Or at least check with some influencer friends before you do so.
They offer ambassadorship immediately.
I’ve heard SO much debate about this online. But first things first, if they’re jumping at the chance to have you as their ambassador BE CAREFUL. This has nothing to do with the quality of your content or your engagement! In fact, if you do an amazing job at both, an ambassadorship should most likely be out of the question! Most companies these days will offer at the bare minimum a free product. Many times these companies offering you an ambassadorship will give you a “discount” or offer you free items only AFTER you buy a certain amount of products first. The return that you will get out of being “an ambassador” is not worth it.
Now there are some exceptions and I’ll tell you those here: Some companies can’t afford to give away free products because they are so new. If this seems to be the case, look and see if they’ve worked with anyone else by seeing who they have tagged on their feed and reach out to them to verify and ask about their experience. Also, large companies, like Lulu’s, have very successful ambassadorship programs. As always, do your research to see if the company is legit and if it’s worth your investment. If you have any questions or hesitations, reach out to me! I’ve helped numerous people avoid falling for these traps.
They’re reaching out in the comments/DMs.
Probably not a good idea. This is usually just bots from the “company” that get posted on practically every micro-influencers account. Once I saw FOUR(!!) comments from different companies on one of my posts but when I checked my influencer friends account, they were on hers as well. That wasn’t a coincidence – they target smaller influencers to take advantage of how new they are in the business.
You can’t find anything about them online.
Besides their “website”, there’s nothing else out there about them. And if they do have other social media, dive deep into their content. Are the only brand photos either stock photos or all “ambassadors”? Is it quality content? Do they have thousands of followers but no comments? RED FLAG! Abort mission!
Their store hasn’t “launched” yet.
I’ve gotten these emails too. I didn’t give them any of their requested information and did NOT click on their links! Again, do NOT click on their links. Instead, Google their name and find them that way. In this case, though, there might not even be anything up because they’re claiming they haven’t launched yet. Send a follow-up email in a week (or when they’re claiming to launch) and see if their store is up. If not, I would wait to make any deals with them and would not give them any of my information.
If it seems too good to be true…it probably is.
I once received an email about getting 50 free pairs of leggings for a giveaway. Yeah, no. I know it probably seems like “Well, duh Gina. You should’ve known better.” But these things can be so easy to buy into…and many people have.
They have a million different Instagram accounts directing you back to one.
This is exactly what it sounds like. Now, to be fair, some very legitimate accounts will have a few accounts for different things. For example, Hoaka Swim has their main account and an ambassadors account (a LEGIT ambassadorship btw) and White Fox Clothing has another account for their new swimwear. Okay, that’s cool. But if one company has 5 or more accounts all connecting you back to their “main” account.. Hmm we see what’s going on here, don’t we.
What you can do:
Do your research.
This is so vital to avoiding scams. All you have to do is type in the company into Google and you’re sure to find something that can help you determine if the company is real or fake. Reddit even has subreddits discussing companies just like these! Again, if you have any questions or hesitations, reach out to me! I’ve helped numerous people avoid falling for these traps.
Look at Instagram.
There are a few things to do here. First, look at the quality of their Instagram. Sure, they might have a lot of followers but are they real? Do a quick test by scrolling through them. Are their pictures and posts under the accounts? Also, check out engagement. Every account will have some ghost followers and bots, but if a company has 70K followers and 20 likes, probably not real. How about the comments? Is the audience you want to attract engaging with this brand? Is anyone?
The other thing to do here is, if they gave you a hashtag they want you to use – you can often find these in their pitch to you about being an ambassador – search it through Instagram! (You can also find these often throughout the companies feed in their captions). I couldn’t determine if one company was a scam, so I searched their hashtag and looked at other women’s posts – all talking about how the company had stolen their money.
Talk to a buddy.
Ask a fellow influencer, your mom, a friend. There is no harm in getting a second or multiple opinions. Sometimes, people won’t have a clue (looking at you mom!) but often times there can be some great advice. And don’t be shy, we’ve all been there!
Email the brand you love.
We live in a world now where everyone has the opportunity to go out and get what they want on their own. If there’s a brand you love, pitch yourself to them instead of waiting for your favorite brand to contact you.
Lastly, trust your gut.
Nothing like what mama gave you. You are an extremely smart woman (or man) and if something inside you is saying, “Something smells fishy here,” you’re probably right. Hold your head high and move on! There are so many REAL companies out there waiting to do a collaboration with YOU!
Find out how to pitch to brands for collaborations!
If you have any questions or don’t know if a specific company is fake, feel free to drop a comment or email me and I’ll try to help you out! Also, if you know other ways to spot fake brands and scam collabs on Instagram, leave it in a comment below!
Xo,
Gina
© Gina Johnson Spoden 2019
