How to spot a fake brand deal or creator scam

The first time a "brand" emails you with a big number attached, it feels like proof you've made it. Scammers know that. Fake sponsorships are now one of the most common ways creators get their accounts stolen or lose money, and they target small creators just as much as big ones, because small creators are more likely to be excited enough to skip the checks.

The good news: nearly every creator scam follows a handful of patterns. Once you know them, they're easy to spot. Here's the checklist.

The quick version

If an offer does any of these, stop and verify before you do anything else:

• Comes from a personal email address or a domain that's almost, but not quite, the brand's real one
• Asks you to download an app, a file, or a "brief viewer" to see the details
• Sends a link that asks you to log in to your social account, email, or anything else
• Offers to pay you more than agreed and asks you to send some back
• Asks you to pay anything: a fee, a deposit, shipping, a "verification" charge, or to buy the product first
• Wants to pay in crypto or gift cards, or asks you to move money through a crypto wallet
• Pushes you to move fast ("offer expires in 24 hours")
• Offers a rate far above anything you've been paid, for very little work
• Refuses a video call or a normal written contract

One red flag doesn't always mean a scam. Two or more, and you should assume it is until proven otherwise.

Red flag 1: lookalike email domains

This is the most common trick. The email looks like it's from a real brand, but the address is slightly off.

Things to check:

• Letters swapped or added: "adidass" instead of "adidas", or "rn" used to look like "m"
• Extra words: "brand-partnerships-nike" or "nike-creators-team" on a domain the brand doesn't own
• Wrong ending: the real brand uses .com, the email comes from .co, .shop, .online or something unusual
• Free email services: a big brand's partnerships manager is unlikely to email you from a personal Gmail, Outlook or similar account

How to check it properly: don't trust the display name, because anyone can set that to "Nike Partnerships". Look at the actual address after the @. Then go to the brand's real website yourself (type it in, don't click their link) and see if the email domain matches.

Be aware that some legitimate agencies and smaller brands do use their own domains or even free email. That's why domain checks are one step, not the whole process.

Red flag 2: "download our app to see the brief"

A real brand sends a brief as a normal document, a shared doc, or in the body of the email. A scam asks you to install something first.

Watch out for:

• A "campaign app" or "creator portal app" you need to install to see the details
• A file ending in something unusual, or a zipped folder, often labelled "Brief" or "Contract"
• A document that asks you to "enable content" or "enable macros" to view it
• A "brief" that's actually a link to download software

These are one of the main ways creators' computers get infected with malware that steals saved passwords and logged-in sessions. Once that happens, attackers can take over your accounts even if you have strong passwords, because they've copied a session that's already logged in.

Rule: you should never need to install anything to read a brand brief. If they insist, walk away.

Red flag 3: links that ask you to log in

The classic phishing move: "Click here to accept the collaboration," and the link opens something that looks exactly like an Instagram, Google or TikTok login page.

The real login page lives on the real platform's own domain. A fake one lives somewhere else, even if it looks identical.

Related variants:

• "Verify your account to receive payment"
• "Your account has been selected for our creator program, confirm here"
• "Copyright issue on your post, appeal within 24 hours" (not a brand deal, but the same trick)
• A request to "add our team as a collaborator" through a link, rather than inside the app

Rule: never log in through a link in an email or DM. If you think a message might be real, open the app or website directly and check from there.

Red flag 4: overpayment and cheque scams

This one is old but still works. The "brand" sends you a payment that's bigger than agreed, often by cheque or a bank transfer that later turns out to be fraudulent. Then they ask you to send the difference back, or to pay a "designer" or "supplier" out of it.

Weeks later, the original payment bounces or gets reversed. You've already sent real money out of your account, and you're on the hook for it.

Signs:

• They pay before you've done anything, and it's more than agreed
• They ask you to forward part of it to someone else
• There's urgency around sending the money back
• The payment comes by physical cheque from an unusual source

Rule: a real brand never needs you to send money anywhere. If you've been overpaid, don't refund anything until the full original payment has cleared, and talk to your bank first. A payment showing in your account doesn't always mean it has fully cleared.

Red flag 5: pay to participate

Any offer where you pay first is almost always a scam, or at best a bad deal dressed up as an opportunity.

Common versions:

• Buy the product first, and "you'll be reimbursed" after posting
• A registration or onboarding fee to join a creator program
• Shipping or customs fees for "free" products
• A paid course or certification required before you can be "approved" for campaigns
• A deposit to hold your spot in a campaign

Real brands pay you. They don't charge you for the privilege.

Red flag 6: crypto, gift cards and unusual payment methods

Be very careful with offers that:

• Want to pay you in crypto, especially a coin you've never heard of
• Ask you to set up a new wallet or connect your existing one to a site
• Pay in gift cards
• Promote a crypto project, trading scheme or "investment opportunity" that promises returns

Beyond the risk to you, promoting a questionable financial product can seriously damage your audience's trust, and in some countries it can land you in regulatory trouble. If you're ever asked to promote investments or financial products, get proper advice first.

Red flag 7: fake agencies and fake managers

Some scams pose as a talent agency or management company instead of a brand. They promise a pipeline of deals if you sign up.

Watch for:

• Upfront fees for representation, portfolio building or "account audits"
• No track record you can verify: no named clients, no real people you can find
• Pressure to sign a long exclusive contract quickly
• Requests for your account login so they can "manage" it for you

A legitimate agency or manager typically earns a commission on deals they bring in, rather than charging you to join. And no one needs your password to manage partnerships. If a team needs account access, most platforms have proper ways to grant limited access without sharing your login.

Red flag 8: too good, too fast, too vague

Scams often share the same feel:

• Unusually high pay for small effort ("$2,000 for one story, no review needed")
• Almost no detail about what you'd actually make
• Rushed deadlines designed to stop you thinking
• Generic compliments that could apply to anyone ("We love your amazing content")
• Your name or handle wrong, or no mention of your content at all

A real brand usually has a clear brief, a reason they chose you, and a normal approval process. A scammer wants you to act before you check.

How to verify a brand is real

When something looks promising but you're not sure, run through this:

1. Check the domain. Go to the brand's official website yourself and compare the email domain.
2. Search the sender. Look up their name plus the company on LinkedIn. Do they exist? Does their profile say they work there?
3. Contact the brand directly. Use a contact address from the official website, not the one in the email, and ask them to confirm the person and the campaign.
4. Ask for a video call. Scammers usually avoid them. A real partnerships manager will generally be happy to have a quick call.
5. Check the product exists. Is it sold anywhere real? Does the brand have a real social presence with a history?
6. Search for the offer. Paste a distinctive line from the email into a search engine along with the word "scam". Many creator scams reuse the same wording.
7. Ask for a proper contract. A real deal can be put in writing with the company's legal name, the deliverables, the fee and the payment terms.
8. Ask other creators. If the brand says they've worked with other creators, find those creators and ask.

It takes about ten minutes, and it's worth it every time.

Protect your accounts before anything happens

Some of this is worth doing today, regardless of any offer:

• Turn on two-factor authentication on every social account and your email, preferably with an authenticator app rather than text messages
• Use a unique password for each account, ideally with a password manager
• Make sure the email address on your social accounts is one you still control and check
• Save your backup codes somewhere safe and offline
• Review which apps and devices are connected to your accounts, and remove anything you don't recognise
• Keep your computer and phone updated
• Consider a separate email address just for brand enquiries, so a phishing attempt there can't touch your main accounts

What to do if you've been targeted

If you haven't clicked or replied

• Don't engage. Don't reply to "check" if it's real.
• Report the message as phishing or spam in your email client.
• Report the account on the platform if it came as a DM.
• If it's impersonating a real brand, consider letting that brand know through their official contact.

If you clicked a link or entered a password

• Change the password immediately, from the real app or website, not the link.
• Log out of all other sessions. Most platforms have a setting for this.
• Turn on two-factor authentication if it wasn't on already.
• Change the password anywhere else you used it.
• Check your email account for new forwarding rules or recovery details you didn't set.

If you downloaded and opened a file

• Disconnect the device from the internet.
• Run a reputable malware scan, or take it to someone who can help.
• From a different, clean device, change your passwords and log out of all sessions on your important accounts, starting with email.
• Assume saved browser passwords and logged-in sessions may have been copied.

If you've lost access to an account

• Use the platform's official account recovery process. Every major platform has one.
• Be very wary of anyone who DMs you offering to "recover" your account for a fee. That's often a second scam aimed at people who've just been hit by the first.

If you've lost money

• Contact your bank or payment provider straight away. The sooner you report it, the better the chance of stopping or reversing a payment.
• Keep every email, message and screenshot.
• Report it to the relevant consumer protection or fraud reporting body in your country. In the US, for example, that includes federal fraud reporting channels and potentially local police.

Mistakes creators make

Assuming you're too small to be targeted. Scammers send these in bulk. Smaller accounts are often targeted because they're more likely to be excited and less likely to have been scammed before.

Checking the display name, not the address. The display name can say anything.

Being polite to a pressure tactic. A real opportunity will survive you taking a day to check it out. A deadline measured in hours is a red flag on its own.

Handing over account access to "help." No brand, agency or manager needs your password.

Feeling too embarrassed to report it. These scams are designed by people who do this full time. Reporting helps platforms shut them down and helps other creators.

Frequently asked questions

Do real brands ever reach out from Gmail?

Sometimes, especially very small brands or independent founders. That's why you look at the whole picture. A small brand with a real website, real social presence and a founder you can find on LinkedIn emailing from Gmail is very different from "a global brand" doing the same.

Is it safe to open a PDF brief?

Most PDFs are fine, but treat any attachment from an unverified sender with care. Be especially suspicious of zipped files, unusual file types, or documents that ask you to enable anything. If in doubt, ask them to paste the brief into the email.

A brand wants to pay me upfront. Is that a red flag?

Not on its own. Deposits are normal and good practice. It becomes a red flag when they overpay and ask for money back, or when the payment arrives in an unusual way before any agreement exists.

Can a real brand ask me to buy the product and get reimbursed?

Some small brands do this through affiliate or review programs, but it carries real risk and you're effectively lending them money. For a paid partnership, it's reasonable to ask them to ship the product to you instead.

Wrap-up

Most creator scams come down to three moves: get you to click, get you to log in, or get you to pay. Real brands don't need you to do any of those. When an offer arrives, check the address, never log in through a link, never install anything to read a brief, and never send money to receive money. If something feels off, take a day and verify it. The real deals will still be there tomorrow.