How to tell if a brand collaboration offer is fake

Why fake offers target creators

Scammers know creators want brand deals and will often overlook a red flag to land one. The bait is a big name, a generous number, or an ambassador title. The goal is to get a fee out of you, your bank details, or free content they never pay for.

The red-flag checklist

1. They ask you to pay a fee to join an ambassador or creator program.

2. The email comes from a free inbox, or a domain that is almost but not quite the real one.

3. They offer far more money than your rate for very little work.

4. They send a payment for more than agreed and ask you to send some back.

5. They rush you, push a tight deadline, and avoid a call.

6. There is no contract, or the contract has no company address or real name on it.

7. They want passwords, bank logins, or a payment to unlock your fee.

The pay-to-play ambassador trap

A real ambassador program pays you, or at least sends product for free. If an offer asks you to buy a starter kit, pay a membership, or purchase stock to resell before you earn anything, it is a sales scheme wearing a brand-deal costume. Walk away.

The overpayment scam

This one uses a check or transfer for more than you agreed, then a panicked message asking you to refund the difference. The original payment bounces days later and your refund is gone. No honest brand overpays by accident and asks for cash back, so treat it as a hard stop.

Verify the sender against the real site

Do not reply to the address that contacted you. Go to the brand's official website yourself, find the real contact or press page, and email that address to ask if the offer is genuine. Check the sender's domain letter by letter, since lookalikes swap an l for an i or add an extra word. When the offer is real, our guide on finding a brand's contact email helps you reach the right person to confirm.