Temu axed its $1 billion network of fake influencer accounts on Meta

Temu, the e-commerce platform, has reportedly ceased funding a vast network of artificial social media accounts on Meta's platforms following a Fortune article exposing the scheme. Temu had allocated nearly $1 billion to partner with influencers on Instagram and Facebook across the U.K. and 27 E.U. countries, according to social media research firm Online Risk Labs (ORL).

Of the 100 influencers with the most Temu advertisements, 73 were likely fraudulent, often featuring nonsensical names, based in China, Russia, Bangladesh, or Iran, and frequently changing their names. These accounts collectively engaged in over 1.4 million partnership advertisements, garnering nearly 17 billion impressions. By September 4, 90 of the top 100 accounts had halted Temu's advertising, and overall, Temu's partnership advertisements nearly halved.

The most prominent account, "Ya Lilly," had 183,000 Instagram followers and 129,000 Facebook followers, running in 278,000 ads. Following the revelation, Ya Lilly's account activity significantly decreased and ceased posting entirely. The fake accounts were predominantly based in Russia, with some in the U.S. or China. ORL's findings revealed a 69% reduction in Temu's partnership ad spending from $115,114 to $64,008 over the same period.

While Temu's ad budget for legitimate creators remained unchanged, the reasons behind the abrupt termination of the fake influencer network remain unclear.