“Oh, I think it’s a scam!”
Well, I guess that’s the sentence from last week, to sum up, one of my Instagram and giveaways related experience. But let’s begin from the start.
Last week, I was contacted by a brand making fitness clothing or at least that’s what they claimed. They offered me an opportunity to host a giveaway.
We want to sponsor you with 20 pairs of leggings for you to host a giveaway on your IG page and on top of that we would like to offer you 2 items of your choice from our store. (we will collect and handle all the participants’ details and send out the leggings to all 20 winners after colors and sizes have been chosen)
What was even better – all I basically had to do was to post the giveaway image and the text they provide, and I wouldn’t have to even deal with checking the entries, etc. Sounds too good to be true, right?
Well, it did feel a bit off from the start and kind of too good to be true. I mean – my Instagram sucks! I’m only losing followers, and my reach is non-existent, and I hate it. I have never bought any followers or used apps or scripts to boost my account. I have only hosted a few giveaways and loop giveaways, but that’s it. So, because of my ****** reach, why would anyone want to work with me on Instagram? But one the other hand, I was excited because a girl can never have too many pairs of leggings or workout clothes, right? And I love hosting giveaways.
Well, everything went pretty smoothly, although I had that strange gut feeling telling me that something might be off. I posted the giveaway. The giveaway had been up for almost two hours when I got DM. And that DM kind of just confirmed my doubts and gut feeling.
So the person who contacted me said that she also had hosted a giveaway for this brand and that it had turned out to be a scam. At the end everyone who had participated were winners and they were asked to pay 10€ for shipping. The person also mentioned that some people were worried that the brand won’t even send out any leggings at all or maybe super cheap ones.
Since the whole thing seemed so off, I decided to take down my giveaway post. My post was up a bit less than 2 hours. Oh, and when I had just removed my giveaway post, I received another DM warning me about the whole thing being a scam.
I also emailed the brand to ask about it and received a reply 2 days later. They replied that no, of course, this is not a scam and someone is just spreading fake news. They also promised to ship the leggings I had chosen and that I should receive them in 2-3 weeks. I will share an update with you once they arrive …
But let’s continue with the outfit post.
I wore this outfit a few weeks ago. Since the weather was sunny, then it’s was a perfect opportunity to wear a simple A-line dress with floral print. I purchased this dress four years ago from Lindex. The floral print and the color combination reminds me of autumn.
Four years ago, I showed you this dress paired with a vegan leather jacket and fringe booties. This time I decided to pair my simple mini dress with a black cardigan from Esprit. I purchased this six years ago, just before moving to the UK for one year. I usually don’t wear any belts with this dress, but this time a red belt seemed like a good idea.
I accessorized my fall outfit with a pair of black Ecco boots, a layered necklace from Happiness Boutique and a golden Michael Kors watch.
What I wore
- multicolour floral jersey dress from Lindex
- Esprit cardigan
- red belt
- Ecco boots
- Happiness Boutique layered necklace
- Michael Kors watch
I’m linking up with these lovely ladies –> see list here
Beauty by Miss L Weekly LINK UP #194
- Link up your outfit & style posts. Please only link up outfit and style posts!
- Please include a link back to this post or to my blog ww.beautybymissl.com within your post or in your blogroll
- Comment on your host’s blog and visit as many linked up posts as you wish. Don’t forget to comment!
- Following me on Instagram, Facebook or Twitter is appreciated!
I can’t wait to check out your posts!
Michelle says
Ugh! Sometimes I hate people. Your dress is lovely though.
Michelle
https://mybijoulifeonline.com
Leelo says
Same here! and thanks 🙂
Gail says
Stunning dress Leelo and looks very edgy with the black cardi and boots. Those Instagram scammers – they’re everywhere (sigh). And everyone’s saying it’s virtually impossible now to grow followers organically on Instagram, except for those who can do it full-time and create professional looking Stories and Reels.
Leelo says
Yeah, unfortunately I have other things to do and can’t really spend hours and hours on Instagram.
Shelbee on the Edge says
Oh my goodness, Leelo, what a nightmare that giveaway sounds like! Well hopefully you will at least get your leggings for going through all the trouble of posting and then fielding DMs and all that stuff. I love this dress on you! The dark floral is so pretty for fall and it is super cute belted. I love tall boots with short dresses, too. Great outfit!
Shelbee
http://www.shelbeeontheedge.com
Leelo says
Thanks 🙂
Katy Malkin says
I hate scams on IG. Sometimes it’s hard to know what to believe.
Well at least you have a gorgeous outfit to show off!
Leelo says
Yes, it is hard sometimes.
Ellibelle says
This dress looks fantastic on you! Sorry about the giveaway scam. Some things are too good to be true!
Ellibelle’s Corner
Grace says
Instagram is seriously the worst sometimes! I’ll be interested hear how your leggings turn out when/if they come…
This outfits is super cute, and I love that dress for the fall! I agree, it looks really good with the red belt. Hope you’re having a great start to your week!
Miles of smiles,
Grace
gracefulrags.com
Leelo says
I can’t wait to see what I will receive, but to be honest, I don’t expect much.
Emma Peach says
There’s just no escaping scams, they’re everywhere – I get at least one phishing email every day. On a brighter note, I love your dress, the print is so pretty. It looks fab with the long boots. Thanks for linking up!
Emma xxx
http://www.style-splash.com
Leelo says
Oh yes, those scam emails. I receive those daily, too. But those basically scream “Hey, I’m a scam!”.
Midaa says
Your dress is really pretty, and I love your jewelry!
mireille says
Glad you backed out of it! I love this outfit and the boots make it such nice fall outfit.
http://www.chezmireillefashiontravelmom.com
Jessica A Jannenga says
Oh, isn’t that the pits! It was good you got out when you did. I understand about IG, I have the hardest time gaining followers no matter what I do! Love the print , the dress is pretty on you!
thanks for linking!
jess xx
http://www.elegantydressedandstylish.com
Tianna says
damn sucks when that happens!
Love this outfit though xx
Mica says
What a cute dress! such a shame the offer was a scam – it’s good you were able to take the post down!
Hope you had a wonderful weekend 🙂 Thanks so much for joining the #WeekdayWearLinkup!
Leelo says
thanks! Yes, I was lucky and I’m super thankful that I was able to take it down.