With the huge increase in the popularity of social networks, influencer marketing has become a completely normal part of the promotion of many businesses. Unfortunately, from time to time, however, it is misused for mischief in the form of various frauds and the like. This is exactly what happened in Iran, where a fraudulent trade in electronics lured over 35 million dollars from users, i.e. over 819 million crowns. And that's mainly because it was promoted by the biggest Iranian celebrities, thanks to which it gained so much credibility.
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As Iran is subject to US sanctions for its activities against US ships in the Persian Gulf along with its support for terrorism, Apple does not officially sell its products in the country. However, local merchants are still able to get them into the country and sometimes sell them for multiples of the price due to their difficult availability. One fraudulent company that offered iPhones in the country at roughly half the price of the competition, which it defended with various stories such as subsidizing operators, making imports more efficient, and so on, took advantage of this. But most importantly, to promote its fraud, the company approached leading Iranian celebrities, who did not hesitate and supported the business through their social networks for hefty rewards.
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And the result? The above-mentioned more than 35 million dollars in the trap, as well as the store owner, who quickly left the country. However, the police, in cooperation with Interpol, have already tracked him down and arrested him, with the idea of his being transported back to the country to serve his sentence being discussed. What is rather funny is that the fraudster admits that he owes some money to his clients, but estimates this amount to be more like 2,7 million dollars than more than 35 million dollars. It will be all the more interesting how the whole plot unfolds.onec will turn out, although it is quite likely that the victims of the fraud will never see their money again.
