Influencers falling prey to fake brand deals, scamsters

After gaining their private data, swindlers play on factors like fear, cyber security experts said

- Pratishtha Bagai

Fake brand managers, false deals, access to private data, and all hell breaks loose. Common modus operandi of scamsters, but the twist is they are now targeting influencers, exploiting their desperation to cut brand deals and maintain their public image and popularity on social media. Such influencers are easy prey for swindlers, given their contact details are publicly available so brands can easily connect with them.

Take Simran Malhotra, a travel and fitness influencer with 656,000 followers on her Instagram handle @malhotra_simran. In two reels last month, she gave a detailed account of how she was approached by a fraudster who pretended to be an influencer marketing agent representing apparel brand Blissclub and skincare brand Skincraft. He asked her to share her personal details and give access to her Google photos account, with pictures of her body parts, including intimate areas, for online consultation and personalization of products.