When Gabbriella, 23, saw a flood of TikTok videos in which people raved about how a digital marketing course “changed their lives,” she was intrigued.
Gabby, from Dunedin, New Zealand, usually overlooked such statements, but she also wondered why “so many people” were saying “the same thing.”
All the young women like her claimed to make thousands of dollars.
There came a point where she decided to take the risk and try it herself in the hopes of making some money. She invested $600 in a ‘digital marketing course’.
He purchased a $597 TikTok digital marketing course and quickly realized it was “a scam.”
But he quickly realized that it was too good to be true (it was a pyramid scheme) and that it had become increasingly popular.
‘They stated that the course “changes their lives” and that they now earn “$30,000 a month.” They make it look easy and like anyone can do it,” he told FEMAIL.
‘I bought the course basically to see if it was a scam or not. It cost me NZD$650 ($597AUD).’
Despite feeling “terrified” before spending the money, she committed and documented the process for those who felt the same way on TikTok.
The course taught him how to make an online store, how to start selling, and the basics of digital marketing.
‘You buy the course and get master resale rights to it. So you can sell it as your own product and make a 100 percent profit,” he explained in a TikTok. video.
After taking the course, he admitted that it was “not worth it” as all the information can be found on YouTube for free and he cannot get a refund.
“This is a group of people trying to sell something useless to vulnerable people so they can then continue the cycle,” he said.
She issued a stern warning to others to ignore those who claim they can help you make money as it is a pyramid scheme.
‘Save your money. If you want to learn about digital marketing, just watch YouTube videos,” Gabby added.
After taking the course, he admitted that it was “not worth it” as all the information can be found on YouTube for free and he cannot get a refund.
‘Faceless digital marketing’: trend sweeping social networks
Gabby’s experience has a lot in common with a “money-making” trend sweeping social media known as faceless digital marketing.
The plans revolve around selling courses that teach others how to make money using social media alone, with the central appeal being that the marketer does not need to show his or her face.
What’s more, anyone can start a faceless marketing profile and sell online “courses” of various price points.
Instagram is flooded with accounts promoting the products, using phrases like “authentic faceless marketing”, “faceless marketing for introverts”, “faceless digital marketing”, etc.
The pages are equipped with persuasive calls to action to draw people in, including “imagine what could happen,” “steal my strategy,” and “$29,000 in 15 weeks, I’ll motivate you.”
The idea of earning some extra money from home sounds tempting, but if you dig a little deeper, it doesn’t take long for alarm bells to ring.
Brisbane financial adviser Helen Baker (pictured) told FEMAIL: “If you have a bad feeling, don’t question it, just run away.”
Brisbane financial advisor and founder of On Your Own Two Feet, Helen Baker, told FEMAIL there is a single principle that Australians looking to make money should keep in mind.
“If it seems too good to be true, it probably is,” he said.
‘You don’t know who you’re dealing with when it comes to these profiles. Is there any responsibility? Who do you really talk to when you contact them?
The trend has caught the attention of Reddit users, with critics criticizing the schemes.
‘Why do these (profiles) appear everywhere? I don’t understand the appeal of posting random content with a million words in the subtitles that don’t talk about anything. I’d love a good explanation,” one wrote.
Another offered an idea, saying: ‘The ‘talking about nothing’ thing is a ploy to get you to look at all their posts and scroll through their profile trying to figure out how they do what they do.
‘Then you move on to their stories and get caught up in their constant income statements and screenshots. I don’t feel comfortable with that. Works. It is not totally fraudulent or even unethical. I just think he takes advantage of people a bit.
The danger with this type of business model is that it attracts vulnerable people who don’t have the extra money to waste on marketing that may not work for everyone, there is no customer service and a return is not guaranteed.
While marketing is “always a risk,” it is nearly impossible to measure return on investment as faceless digital marketing is in its fetal stage.
“You’re taking someone’s word as a fact when you may not get the same results,” Ms. Baker added.
Baker knows all too well what it’s like to be scammed by a marketer.
Ten years ago, she put her trust in someone to help her grow her business and was left with $10,000 out of pocket.
Before spending money, he suggested taking a step back and making a carefully calculated decision.
“Consider whether you can get your money back and whether it is money you can afford to lose,” he said.
‘There are so many ‘get rich quick’ schemes out there today that it’s very difficult to know what’s authentic and what’s not.
‘In many situations someone always enriches themselves at the expense of another person. Even online, many reviews and comments are written by robots or AI.
“If you have a bad feeling, don’t question it, just run.”