Influencer authenticity check
Paste their posts. We evaluate the text for paid-promo signals, scam-promotion patterns, missing disclosure, and lifestyle-implied wealth claims. We can't access social platforms directly — what you paste is what we analyze.
Limits to know: we can read text content you paste; we can't see follower counts, engagement, or post history. The "How to evaluate any influencer" guide below covers the checks that need you to do them on the platform itself.
How to evaluate any influencer
The checks below need you on the platform itself — these are skills more than tools.
Follower-quality checks
- • Click on a handful of their followers — real accounts have profile photos, bios, and posts. Empty / new / no-photo accounts en masse means bought followers.
- • Compare follower count to engagement. 100K followers but 50 likes per post = the followers aren't real, or aren't real people.
- • Check for sudden spikes in follower growth — usually a paid burst.
- • Free tools: socialblade.com charts daily growth across platforms; an artificial spike + plateau is unmistakable.
Promotion red flags
- • Promotes "guaranteed returns" on any investment — guaranteed returns don't legally exist outside FDIC-insured deposits.
- • Promotes unregulated crypto / "trading bot" / "signal" platforms.
- • Affiliate links not labeled as such.
- • "I'll teach you to make $10K/month" without verifiable proof of method or track record.
- • Lifestyle photos (cars, watches, hotels) implying the wealth came from the promoted product.
- • "DM me for details" — pushes the conversation private, away from comments where bad reviews live.
- • History of promoting projects that later collapsed (worth a Google: their handle + "scam" / "exit scam" / "rug pull").
Disclosure compliance
- • FTC (US): requires
#ador#sponsoredon paid promotions, near the top of the post and not buried in a hashtag wall. - • UK ASA: requires clear, prominent labeling for ads —
#AD,Advertisement Feature, or platform's built-in branded-content tag. - • Missing disclosure means either they're breaking the law or pretending paid content is genuine — both worth knowing.
- • "Affiliate" and "I may earn a commission" disclosure is also required when relevant.
Identity-verification checklist
- • Verified account badge (note: most platforms now sell verification, so this is necessary but not sufficient).
- • A real website with contact info, registered to a real company.
- • Findable on LinkedIn with consistent employment / education history.
- • Featured (or quoted) in legitimate publications you recognize.
- • Verified peers interact with them organically — replies, mentions, collaborations — not just paid shoutouts.
Influencer-promotion hall of shame
Documented cases with confirmed regulatory action or court judgments. Pattern recognition: the same playbook keeps working because audiences trust the face, not the offer.
FTX celebrity endorsers
What: Tom Brady, Stephen Curry, Larry David, Trevor Lawrence, Naomi Osaka, Shaquille O'Neal et al.
Outcome: Class-action settlement (S.D. Fla., 2024) plus SEC settlements on individual endorsers; FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried convicted of fraud (2023).
Kim Kardashian — EthereumMax (EMAX)
What: Promoted EMAX token to 250M+ Instagram followers without disclosing the $250K payment.
Outcome: SEC settlement, Oct 2022 — $1.26M ($260K disgorgement + $1M penalty). Did not admit or deny findings.
Floyd Mayweather Jr. & DJ Khaled — Centra Tech ICO
What: Both promoted the Centra Tech ICO without disclosing payment.
Outcome: SEC settlement, 2018 — Mayweather $614K, Khaled $152K. Centra Tech founders criminally convicted; founder Sam Sharma sentenced 2020.
BitConnect promoters
What: Trevon James, Craig Grant, Glenn Arcaro and others promoted BitConnect lending platform with referral kickbacks.
Outcome: SEC charged BitConnect + Arcaro (2021); Arcaro pleaded guilty. SEC charged Trevon James and others in 2023.
Logan Paul — CryptoZoo
What: Promoted his own NFT 'play-to-earn' game CryptoZoo; project never delivered playable mechanics.
Outcome: Class-action lawsuit (W.D. Tex.); Logan Paul publicly committed to refund up to $2.3M to verified buyers. No SEC action to date.
Fyre Festival influencer promo
What: Kendall Jenner, Bella Hadid, Emily Ratajkowski and ~400 others promoted the festival without disclosing paid arrangements.
Outcome: Bankruptcy-trustee clawback settlements: Jenner $90K, Hadid $90K, Ratajkowski $300K (2020–2023). Founder Billy McFarland convicted of wire fraud.
Each entry above involved a settlement, court judgment, or regulatory action — no allegations without resolution. SEC EDGAR · FTC case library .
Promoting a product is not the same as promoting a scam. Influencers can legitimately be paid to advertise — the issue is missing disclosure, guaranteed-return claims, and unregulated financial products. The verdict here is about behaviour patterns, not the influencer's character.