Rachel was looking for a new skincare product. She started searching the web and saw an ad for a skincare cream used by one of her favorite singers. Rachel was excited, she had just been to her concert and thought this skincare cream must be great if the singer was endorsing it. Rachel clicked on the ad and was taken to the company’s website where she was greeted with more pictures of their products and other celebrities that had tried them.
She selected a cream and continued to checkout. After a few weeks, Rachel still hadn't received the cream. She started to get suspicious and tried to find a confirmation email. Rachel realized she never received a confirmation.
When she performed an internet search on the brand, she found many reviews from other customers saying it was a scam. When Rachel checked her credit card, she found multiple fraudulent charges. Luckily, she was able to call her credit card company and get the money back.
Did you spot the red flags?
- Rachel trusted the company because of the celebrity endorsement and did not research the company first before buying the product.
- Instead of staying on well-known websites, Rachel clicked on an ad to buy the product.
- Rachel did not receive a confirmation email for her order and did not check her credit card transactions until weeks later.
What you should know about this scam
Check the celebrity's social media account to see if they have posted anything about endorsing the product.
Take the time to investigate the company before buying anything. Always use a credit card when making new purchases online.
With the rise of deepfake videos and AI voice generation, celebrity endorsement scams are getting more complex. If a product is unknown but endorsed by a celebrity, it is best to conduct further research before purchasing.