Influencer fraud: avoid the pitfalls and spot the scams

In the world of influencer marketing, brands rely on content creators to promote their products and services. But not all influencers play the game of transparency. Some fraudulent influencers artificially inflate their subscriber numbers or engagement rates to appear more attractive to advertisers.

Collaborating with a fraudulent influencer can have serious consequences: financial losses, a poor brand image and a total lack of return on investment. How can you spot these profiles and avoid the pitfalls? In this article, 18h08, expert agency in Influence Marketing, gives you the best tools and techniques to identify influencers with dubious statistics and guarantee an effective and authentic collaboration.

1. False subscribers: how to spot them

One of the first warning signs is the purchase of followers. Some influencers use bots or online services to artificially inflate their follower count. But these phantom subscribers don't engage and distort the perception of their audience.

Clues to watch out for:

• Irregular and sudden growth An account that gains thousands of followers in just a few days, for no apparent reason, may have resorted to a follower purchase. Natural growth is generally smooth and gradual.
• An illogical subscriber/interaction ratio If an influencer has 100,000 subscribers but only gets 200 likes and 3 comments, it's a strong sign of inactive or bought followers. A consistent engagement rate is key.
• Subscribers with suspicious profiles : Many accounts with no profile photos, no publications and randomly generated names are usually bots.
• Low interaction rates on stories and lives Unlike traditional posts, stories and lives require immediate interaction and cannot be artificially inflated as easily.

Analysis tools :

• HypeAuditor Detects audience growth anomalies.
• Social Blade Allows you to view subscriber variations.

If you're looking to (naturally) boost your follower count on Instagram, check out this article. Transparency guaranteed!

2. Inflated commitment: a common scam

As we said, engagement rate is a key indicator for measuring an influencer's performance. Some boost their stats by buying likes and comments, or by joining pods.

Signs of an artificial commitment :

• Lots of likes but few comments Natural engagement includes discussion between the influencer and his community.
• Generic or identical comments Repeated "Wow!", "I love it!" or emojis are often a sign of automation.
• Suspicious engagement spikes A post that goes from 50 to 5,000 likes in the space of a few minutes may indicate the purchase of interactions.
• Engagement not consistent with content A low-engagement post (a simple photo with no description) with thousands of likes can be suspect.

How to check?

• Audit with Modash Analyze the type of commitment and identify inconsistencies.
• Manual observation Take the time to read the comments and see if they seem natural.

We also wrote this article to help you avoid 7 common mistakes when working with an influencer.

3. Poor-quality content: another telltale sign

A true content creator stands out for the quality of his or her publications. A fraudulent influencer often relies on quantity rather than creativity, and this is reflected in his or her publications.

Things to look out for :

• Unpolished visuals A blurred, poorly framed or unattractive image reflects a lack of professionalism.
• Sloppy captions A vague description such as "Trop beau!" or "J'adore cette marque" without any storytelling or added value indicates low investment.
• A lack of narrative A good influencer creates an immersive experience for his or her community. A creator who simply displays a product without context or setting doesn't generate lasting impact.
• Inconsistent partnerships An influencer who promotes a detox drink one day and a fast-food restaurant the next lacks credibility.

Take the time to identify the influencers you want to work with. If you'd like us to guide you through this delicate stage, contact us. As influence specialists, we'll be able to answer your questions and see if we can work together over the long term.

4. Analysis of stories and lives

An effective way to test a creator's true influence is to analyze their Instagram stories and live sessions.

Why?

• Fake subscribers don't watch stories : An influencer with 200,000 subscribers but only 1,000 story views probably has a largely fictitious audience.
• Live shows real interaction with the community If a creator has thousands of followers but only 20 active live viewers, his audience is surely inflated.
• Response rate to stickers and surveys A legitimate influencer obtains natural interactions (responses, questions, votes on surveys). A total absence of participation is a bad signal.

You want to create a story but you're afraid of going about it the wrong way? 5 tips for publishing a quality story.

5. The importance of coherent collaboration

Serious influencers select the brands they collaborate with to maintain consistency with their audience. An influencer who promotes an organic shampoo today and an ultra-processed fast-food restaurant tomorrow probably lacks authenticity.

What to look out for:

• Too many partnerships in too short a time Too many collaborations kill authenticity. An influencer who moves from one brand to another every week doesn't take the time to invest in a relationship with his sponsors.
• Products that contradict your image A fitness influencer who promotes an ultra-sweet drink or a junk food product sends a confusing message to his audience.
• No spontaneous mention of partner brands A good influencer talks about his collaborations, even when they're not sponsored content. They share products they actually use, without expecting to be paid for each publication.

Before committing yourself, take the time to ask these 11 questions to find THE right influencer.

6. Platforms for checking out an influencer

Some platforms allow you to obtain a detailed audit of an account before collaborating.

Recommended tools:

• Upfluence Analyze statistics and detect fraudulent behavior.
• Klear Provides insights into audience authenticity.
• HypeAuditor Evaluates audience quality and real engagement.
• Heepsy Compare influencers to see how they perform.

7. What should you do if you detect a fraudulent influencer?

If you suspect a fraudulent influencer, here are the steps to follow:

1. Don't commit immediately Take the time to do a thorough analysis.
2. Compare with other influencers Check whether other creators in the same niche have similar metrics.
3. Request detailed statistics Request a report on the performance of past collaborations.
4. Avoid dubious collaborations A serious influencer will have no problem providing proof of his or her authenticity.
5. Report suspicious accounts Instagram, TikTok and YouTube have anti-fraud policies.

Conclusion

Influencer marketing is based on trust and transparency. transparency. Collaborating with a fraudulent influencer can damage your brand, result in financial loss and give your influencer strategy a negative image.

By analyzing subscribers, engagement, content quality and collaboration consistency, you can avoid pitfalls and choose genuine, high-performance partners.

Want to secure your influencer campaigns and work with trusted creators? Contact us. We'll help you identify the influencers best suited to your campaign and build an effective strategy.

We've already worked with Burger King, Booking, Oysho, Décathlon... So why not you?

See you soon to perfect your influencer marketing strategy!