Influencers, celebrities and other people with strong online followings can be, well, influential. When considering whether you want to buy something or use a service – especially when you’re buying online – you might look at a person’s or company’s social media. A bigger following might mean something to you, maybe telling you something about their legitimacy or how good their product or service is.
A company called Devumi knew that and sold fake followers to help people and organizations gain strong “followings.” The FTC has reached a settlement with Devumi for its illegal actions that deceived consumers.
So how did Devumi work? It operated several websites, including Devumi.com, TwitterBoost.co, Buyview.co, and Buyplays.co. People could go to these pages and buy fake followers, subscribers, views and likes for their social media accounts. That included accounts on Twitter, LinkedIn, YouTube, Pinterest, Vine and SoundCloud.
So how can you be sure that the person or company you’re interested in has real followers? Truth is, you can’t be sure.
So, as you’re shopping online, go beyond the number of followers and likes. Check out independent reviews of the product or service. Of course, those can be faked, too, so read a bunch of reviews to see what you can figure out. Also, search online for the name of the product or service, plus the word “complaint.” Looking for more tips about shopping online? Check out Comparing Products Online.
In reply to In general, fake positive by Cynic
In reply to In general, fake positive by Cynic
In reply to What do you mean FTC reached by make sense
This blog includes a link to the FTC's public Press Release that describes the proposed settlement.
Click on the words " The FTC has reached a settlement with Devumi " to learn that the proposed order settling the FTC's charges bans the Devumi defendants from selling or assisting others in selling social media influence to users of third-party social media platforms. The order also prohibits the defendants from making misrepresentations, or assisting others in doing so, about the social media influence of any person or entity or in any review or endorsement of any person, entity, product, or service.
In reply to What do you mean FTC reached by make sense
In reply to Some people have reported by ZuZu
Thank you for your questions. Yes, the emails regarding Devumi are actually from the FTC. We sent them to email addresses associated with past Devumi customers. The emails ask the recipients to delete any fake followers and warn them not to purchase followers in the future.