by Structured Settlement Watchdog
New York’s AG has declared it illegal to sell fake social media engagement in order to inflate one’s online influence, ruling against “fake like merchant” in a landmark decision
It’s about time!
“Bots and other fake accounts have been running rampant on social media platforms, often stealing real people’s identities to carry out fraud,” James said in a statement accompanying the decision. “As people and companies like Devumi continue to make a quick buck by lying to honest Americans, my office will continue to find and stop anyone who sells online deception. With this settlement, we are sending a clear message that anyone profiting off of deception and impersonation is breaking the law and will be held accountable.” Letitia James, New York Attorney General
This is the first finding by a law enforcement agency that the sale of fraudulent social media engagement is deceptive
Devumi and its affiliates made $15 million selling fake followers, “likes,” views, and other social media engagement from 2015 to 2017, activity that was generated by a stable of 3.5 million bots and “sock puppets” – one person operating multiple accounts. Some of the fake accounts copied the identities of real people, including their photos, and may have deceived Devumi’s customers into believing they were buying engagement with actual humans, the decision said.
The company also sold endorsements from social media “influencers” without disclosing that they were paid for. This aspect particularly troubled James, who noted that “the opinions of influencers can have particularly strong influence over the reputation and sales for any product, company, service or person they endorse.”
Allison Fitzpatrick and Louis P. Dilorenzo, partners at New York’s Davis & Gilbert published a nice summary New York and Florida AGs Settle Charges with Seller of Fake Social Media Accounts and Engagements – Davis+Gilbert LLP February 13, 2019
When Mt. Airy MD Ad Man Filed Rip Off Report About Traffic-Bots.Com after Wiring Them $3,000
David Springer’s Rip Off Report on August 28, 2016 claims to have been defrauded by a bot vendor from traffic-bots.com. In David Springer’s RipOff Report, Springer alleged that Radu Laurian Dumitrache of Traffic-Bots.com persuaded him to wire $3,000 to a personal bank account. According to Springer, the software provided was non-functional, and subsequent attempts to contact Dumitrache for a resolution were ignored.
David Springer, a former executive tied to what a Federal judge dubbed the so-called Sovereign Funding Group, allegedly buying structured settlement payments. This “group” consisted of fake personas that hilariously endorsed each other on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Google Plus. The charade fell apart when these imaginary characters were summoned for depositions in a Maryland lawsuit, where Springer, as the Defendant, had to confess his trickery. In 2015, he filed for bankruptcy to dodge the judgment. Now, his Twitter account boasts 77 tweets, follows 37 accounts, has 1,141 followers, and 2,743 likes—stats that could make him look like a social media messiah. But alas, his tweets are as exciting as stale toast. Hmmm…
David Springer with Sovereign Funding Group, and other Marylanders associated with Einstein Structured Settlements, made use of paid actresses from Fiverr and other sites, holding paid actors or actresses as real customers to promote their businesses
One bogus still published ad held out David Springer as a lawyer ( which featured in Springer’s 2014 trial), a dubious feat “emulated” by the reprobates in charge of Einstein Structured Settlements.
David Springer Mt Airy and the Lawyer Confusion – Structured Settlements 4Real®Blog
What its says on Springer’s Linkedin profile in 2019, bears little resemblance to what it said in the myriad of other versions. The problem is that you can’t whitewash a court record and the record of the lawsuit against Springer which he lost and is available on pacer.gov as well as my extensive commentary.