THE MUMBAI police crime branch on Friday recorded the statements of the CEO and COO of influencer marketing company Chtrbox in connection with the social media influencer scam. The police have sought details of the nearly 30,000 influencer accounts they handle from the Andheri-based company. So far the police have arrested two persons for allegedly running websites which sell fake followers and likes.
Maharashtra Home Minister Anil Deshmukh said, “Several PR agencies get fake followers online called bots for several people including Bollywood celebrities. While they increase popularity, they are also used for trolling and stealing data. Hence the Maharashtra police is conducting an investigation into the scam.”
The police said that they recorded the statements of the top officials of Chtrbox that also deals with social media influencers and manages brands to understand the relationship between social media managers and brands. “This is part of the probe into the fake followers allegedly purchased by social media influencers. These influencers who have a high number of followers are in turn paid by brands to promote their product on their content.”
The alleged scam came to light after Bollywood playback singer Bhoomi Trivedi approached the Mumbai police with a complaint that a fake account had been created in her name. So far two persons have been arrested.
