Is This Brand Deal a Scam?
A brand deal is probably a scam if you are asked to pay or buy anything first, if they overpay and ask for the difference back, if payment is in gift cards or crypto, if the sender’s email domain does not match the brand’s website, or if they want your login, a code, or your banking details before a contract exists. Paste the message below to check for all eleven patterns.
Runs in your browser. Nothing you paste is sent anywhere or stored.
The 11 red flags this checks
Any one of the first five is enough to stop and verify. The rest are caution signs.
- 1Asks you to pay anythingA fee, a deposit, shipping, or buy it now and we reimburse you. Money flows one way in a real deal.
- 2Overpayment or a mailed checkThey pay too much and ask for the difference back. The original payment reverses; your refund is gone.
- 3Gift cards, crypto, or wireIrreversible rails no brand uses to pay creators.
- 4Wants your login, a code, or bank detailsNothing about a collaboration needs a password, a 2FA code, a screen-share, or an account number.
- 5The domain does not match the brandA free inbox claiming a big brand, or a look-alike like brand-collab.com. Check the part after the @.
- 6Pushes you to WhatsApp or TelegramOff the account you can verify, onto a channel with no paper trail.
- 7Content before termsA free test video with no brief, no rate, no contract is free work, and sometimes the whole point.
- 8Too good for a first messageThousands for one post, guaranteed income, no experience needed. Real brands open with a brief.
- 9Urgency and secrecyReply in 24 hours, limited spots, keep this confidential. Pressure exists so you skip verifying.
- 10A generic, mass-sent openerDear creator. A brand that wants you uses your name and names your work.
- 11Rights grab in the contractPerpetual, exclusive, work-for-hire. Not always a scam, but always something to price or strike.
How do I know if a brand deal is a scam?
The DM or email, with the sender’s address and any links left in.
Who they claim to be and, if you know it, the brand’s real website.
Each one links to the guide, with the exact next step and how to verify.
FAQ
How can I tell if a brand deal is a scam?
Check the sender’s email domain against the brand’s real website, character by character. Then look for the classic asks: pay or buy something first, a mailed check or an overpayment, payment in gift cards or crypto, a move to WhatsApp or Telegram, or a request for your login, a code, or banking details. Any one of those is enough to stop and verify.
Is it safe to paste a message here?
Yes. The check runs entirely in your browser with a set of pattern rules. Nothing you paste is sent to a server or stored, and there is no signup. Close the tab and it is gone.
Do real brands ever email from Gmail?
Small brands and founder-run shops do, which is why a free inbox is a caution sign rather than a red flag. Verify by finding the brand’s site yourself and writing to the contact address listed there. A real founder will happily confirm from the company domain.
What if the brand is real but the person is not?
That is the most common version now: a real brand’s name and logo, an impersonator behind it. The tell is the domain, a look-alike like brand-collab.com, or a free inbox. Never verify through a link in the message itself; go to the brand’s site on your own and ask there.
What should I do if I already replied or paid?
Stop all contact and do not send anything else. If money left your account, call your bank or the payment app immediately and ask for a reversal. Change the password on any account you logged into or shared a code for, and turn on two-factor. Then report the account on the platform so the next creator sees the warning.