Scammers PR of Loewe phishing via e-mail and social media
This post has become a trending topic since I published it on 14 January 2024, with dozens of access from all over the world, daily, especially from Europe. Since then, I received some messages from other people who were contacted by the tricksters and even one who was a victim and shared more details of the scam. Follows the details of how the tricksters act:
Contact by e-mail
I found it curious that I had received an elaborate e-mail from someone calling him/herself “Jummy Temidayo PR Manager at Loewe”, offering to me a nice deal to get some clothes from LOEWE. However, there were some problems with his/her message, which I immediately identified as fraud. I hereby copy and paste the e-mail they sent to me:
From: LOEWECOLLAB <loewecollab259@gmail.com>
Topic: COLLABORATION
Message:
Hello
l am Jummy Temidayo PR Manager at Loewe, We are just launching our newest collection “Paula’s Ibiza Collection” in collaboration and we look forward to working with new social media content creators on this project.
We noticed you are a good creator, we observed your profile and you are qualified to collaborate with us.
Below are the steps that must be followed accordingly to complete registration and contract verification:
- You will fill out the collaboration registration form with all the required details
- Download, review, and send back a signed copy of the partnership contract document which we will send to you.
- After selection we will send your details to our delivery partners Intersend who will email you to confirm your details and complete delivery.
BENEFITS OF COLLABORATING WITH US:
- You will receive free monthly packages(10 items of your choice for (1 year).
- A discount code will be given to you to share with your followers
- Reposts of the posts you have made about our products on our social media handles and website for (1) year.
Kindly send your response as a reply to this email and we can proceed with the required steps.
Best regards,
Jummy Temidayo
PR Manager, Loewe group
What is wrong with this message?
(1) Gmail
The trickster uses a Gmail account, not a professional account from the Loewe group. Just this fact is already a red flag. It shows that they are not professional. I thought they were teenagers in high school.
(2) Random target
I am not the target of a brand such as Loewe. I have not updated my Instagram for six months, since I was finishing two PhD degrees at the same time, so I had no time to deliver content. Also, I do not promote high-end global brands or brands not aligned with sustainable practices. Therefore, I was just a random target – like many other digital influencers are. But the fact that they got my professional e-mail meant good programming of their bots to find “fashion” related e-mails, such as mine.
(3) Broken English
Poor grammar. The message is badly written, like written from your phone. A serious message from a company like this would be more professional. In the luxury market, you need to be perfect, to write perfectly.
(4) The negotiation
Finally, the negotiation dynamics focused on filling out forms, not on scheduling a call/Zoom. I don’t want to teach scammers to improve their techniques, but in the luxury market, we do not focus on bureaucratic procedures and sales opportunities but on exclusivity. So, at the end of the message, a call to action to have a call would make more sense than a call to action to reply to an e-mail to follow-up with bureaucracy. Got it?
What is the problem with sending your data to people you do not know?
I received a question like this from a digital influencer via Instagram. The tricksters contacted this influencer, and he wanted to understand the risks of this e-mail. Simple, as all mothers say to their children all over the world:
Do not talk to strangers!
Do not send your details, full name, address, signature, and citizen number to random people online. Do not send your pictures, do not send your bank account number. Just do not give your data to strangers because you have no idea what else they can do with your name.
In case you sent your data to the LOEWE tricksters, what happens next?
A digital influencer who was a victim of this scam authorized me to share her experience anonymously, with the hope we can help other people. I will copy and paste her story.
Hello
I‘m contacting you because – I also was contacted by ‚LOEWE‘ to collaborate with them, and stupid me – after checking on LinkedIn the Name of Jummy Temidayo – got the contract, signed it – got also a shipment e-mail for the goods and paid the €1500 for cutoms declaration which among ‚LOEWE‘ contract – I‘ll get back the moment, I received the goods…..
So I got trapped ! I feel ashamed cause I usually proof everything twice – Even the contract had been proofed by a lawyer – but it‘s actually not about the contract itself – it’s actually the payment for the import customs they assigned me to pay … My question: Did u do anything against ‚them‘ who ever they are… did you get in contact with Jummy Temidayo to let her know, that in the name of her false contracts are being sent…?
Thanks for your Information
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Thanks for replying – yes of course you can share my unpleasant experience- I think it’s the only way to make things harder to them…
As u said: it’s probably an organization of several very well organized people: there is one pretending to be Jummy Temidayo (who really is the media and senior VIP Manager at LOEWE) than there is someone at the shipping company INTERSEND EXPRESS LOGISTICS (also existing!!!)and they are even answering through customer service of the shipping company’s webpage…. I asked for an invoice (customer declaration) and even got that!! It’s a German banking account which I try to find out who is behind..,,
If needed I can send u contract /invoice everything…
Best regards
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What did I do?
I did not contact the so-called PR person, who can be innocent, can be a fake profile, can be even dead, or whatever. But I contacted the brand. And the brand LOEWE is aware of the case. We should wait for the brand to communicate about this scam and protect their customers and fanbase.
What you should do if you receive an e-mail from a trickster?
As I learned practicing meditation with the monks in Thailand: “I did nothing, I just observed, it was the greatest experience of my life”. Do not do anything. Just ignore the message.
On the other hand, try to alert your colleagues in the fashion industry of how elaborate the fashion scams are getting every year! These tricksters are a team working on behalf of serious companies.
What should you do if you were a victim of a scammer?
There is not much to be done. You can report to the police, to the brand, to the bank, to the shipping company. But no one gives your money back, since you paid to the trickster, and you are somehow (unfortunately) responsible for this payment.
Money comes, money goes.
Everything that we pay with money is cheap. It would be expensive if we paid with our moral values, with our health, etc.
So, forget the topic. And be confident that the wheel of fortune is always turning. Today you had bad luck, tomorrow you make a good deal with honest people. Keep working hard, with a positive attitude that good things are on your way.
As a final remark, I would like to share the poem “If”, by Rudyard Kipling, which can help us to become mentally strong:
Best wishes
Luciana
