The Influencer Fraud Playbook: Every Scam and How to Spot It
Influencer fraud costs brands millions annually. Learn the 12 most common fraud tactics and exact methods to detect them before you get burned.
The $15K Lesson
A beauty brand paid $15,000 for a partnership with a 500K-follower Instagram influencer. The post got 50K likes and 2,000 comments. Impressive, right?
Zero sales. Why? 90% of the followers were bots. The likes were purchased. The comments were generic spam. Total fraud. And this happens every single day.
The 12 Fraud Tactics
1. Purchased Followers
The Scam: Buying bot accounts to inflate follower count.
How to Detect:
- • Check follower growth: Sudden spikes of 10K+ followers overnight = red flag
- • Analyze follower accounts: Click 20 random followers. Are they real people with posts?
- • Look for fake account patterns: No profile pic, generic usernames (user123456), no posts
- • Geography mismatch: US-based influencer with 80% followers from Bangladesh
- • Engagement rate: 500K followers but only 2K likes per post (0.4% = suspicious)
2. Purchased Likes
The Scam: Buying likes to make posts appear more engaging than they are.
How to Detect:
- • Unnatural like patterns: 10K likes in first 5 minutes, then plateau
- • Check who liked: Click "Liked by"—are they real accounts?
- • Ratio test: 10K likes but only 50 comments = bought likes
- • Compare to other posts: Every post has exactly similar engagement = bot network
3. Purchased Comments
The Scam: Paying for fake comments to create illusion of engagement.
How to Detect:
- • Generic comments: "Great!", "Love this!", "Amazing!" (no specifics)
- • Comment pods: Same 30 accounts comment on every post
- • No real conversation: Influencer doesn't reply, no back-and-forth
- • Check commenter profiles: Are they real engaged users or spam accounts?
4. Engagement Pods
The Scam: Groups of influencers who agree to like/comment on each other's posts.
How to Detect:
- • Same accounts engage on every post within minutes
- • Engagement comes from other influencers, not regular users
- • High engagement but low saves/shares (pod members don't genuinely save)
5. View Bot Farms (TikTok/Reels)
The Scam: Purchasing views to inflate video performance metrics.
How to Detect:
- • High views but ultra-low engagement (100K views, 200 likes = 0.2%)
- • Watch time is suspiciously low (algorithm would suppress, not promote)
- • Geography mismatch again
6. Fake Media Kits
The Scam: Doctored screenshots showing fake metrics or past campaign performance.
How to Detect:
- • Request real-time screen recording of their analytics dashboard
- • Cross-reference claimed metrics with third-party tools
- • Verify past sponsorship claims (do the posts exist? Were brands happy?)
7. Audience Retention Fraud
The Scam: Inflating follower count, then gradually replacing fake followers with real ones to pass audits.
How to Detect:
- • Historical analysis: Check 6+ months of follower growth
- • Engagement rate over time: Did it improve as follower count grew? (Should stay steady)
- • Use tools like Social Blade to track historical data
8. Giveaway Inflation
The Scam: Running constant giveaways to inflate follower count, then those followers never engage with regular content.
How to Detect:
- • Giveaway posts get 20K likes, regular posts get 1K (fake audience)
- • Check recent posts: Are 50%+ giveaways? Red flag
- • Look at follower comments: Do they only comment on giveaways?
9. Fake Testimonials
The Scam: Claiming past successful campaigns that never happened or grossly exaggerating results.
How to Detect:
- • Contact brands directly to verify claims
- • Ask for specific metrics (not just "campaign was successful")
- • Request case study or campaign brief
10. Platform Gaming
The Scam: Using platform glitches or loopholes to artificially boost metrics temporarily.
How to Detect:
- • Unnatural growth spurts that coincide with known platform bugs
- • Metrics that don't align with actual reach/impressions
11. Stolen Content/Impersonation
The Scam: Reposting others' viral content to build following, or impersonating successful creators.
How to Detect:
- • Reverse image search profile photos
- • Check if content is original or reposted
- • Verify identity through video call before payment
12. Click Fraud
The Scam: Using bots to click on affiliate links or visit landing pages to inflate "performance" metrics.
How to Detect:
- • High click-through rate but zero conversions
- • Unusual traffic patterns (all clicks in 2-hour window)
- • Mismatched geography (influencer is US-based, traffic is from VPNs)
Fraud Detection Tools
Free Tools
- • Social Blade: Track follower growth patterns
- • IG Audit: Estimates fake follower percentage
- • Manual Check: Click 20 random followers—are they real?
Paid Tools
- • HypeAuditor: Comprehensive fraud detection ($299+/mo)
- • Modash: Audience quality analysis ($99+/mo)
- • Vyrex: AI-powered authenticity scoring
Red Flag Checklist
Run through this before any partnership:
- Follower count suddenly jumped 10K+ in a day
- Engagement rate below 1% (Instagram) or 5% (TikTok)
- Comments are generic/spam-like
- Same accounts engage on every post
- Followers are mostly from unexpected countries
- Can't verify past campaign claims
- Refuses to do video call or share live analytics
- Prices significantly below market rate (too good to be true)
- Follower profiles look fake (no pics, no posts)
- High ratio of giveaway to organic content
If 3+ red flags: walk away.
Contract Protections
Include these clauses to protect yourself:
- Authenticity guarantee: Influencer warrants all followers/engagement is organic
- Performance minimum: If engagement falls below X%, you can request refund
- Right to audit: You can request access to analytics dashboard
- Fraud clause: If fraud is detected, full refund + damages
- Payment schedule: 50% upfront, 50% after verifying performance
The Bottom Line
Influencer fraud is rampant. But it's also predictable and detectable.
Spend 30 minutes vetting before spending $30,000. Check follower quality, engagement authenticity, and past performance claims. Trust your instincts—if something feels off, it probably is.
Automated fraud detection
Vyrex automatically screens for fake followers, bot engagement, and fraud patterns—so you only partner with authentic influencers.
Protect Your Budget