💻 [OBO DIGEST] What Is Jobfishing?

Steroid use by fitness influencers, a fake design agency, how to help Ukraine, social media updates, the dark side of online business…

Written by: Online Business Owner • February 28, 2022

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One last note: like many of you, I spent the weekend watching the news of the war in Ukraine with so much sadness, horror, and frustration.

Here are three organizations I’m supporting in their work to help refugees from the war: Voices of Children, Care Ukraine Crisis Fund, and HIAS.

And here are a collection of journalists and experts I’m following for on the ground reporting and to understand better what’s happening and its implications:

News + Happenings

Steroid Use is the Fitness Influencer World’s Dirty Little (and Now Not So Well Kept) Secret

Image Source: (www.unsplash.com/@visualsbyroyalz)

Content warning: this article discusses substance use, eating disorders, and body dysmorphia.

A new report out from Insider details how steroid use isn’t an exception but a rule for many fitness influencers.

It’s mostly being done in secret without any disclosure to followers (and it’s much more common than you may think).

Based on his experience training athletes and bodybuilders, the personal trainer and nutritionist Harry Smith said he estimates about half of fitness influencers take some form of performance-enhancing drug, or PED, whether it's steroids, human growth hormone, or even insulin (which can reduce body fat). Other trainers confirmed that estimate to Insider, and some said it was even a lowball number.

The secretive use of steroids and other performance-enhancing drugs creates results that are impossible to achieve naturally and a false sense of possibility for followers on social media.

That could lead to body dysmorphia or eating disorders.

And there’s the ethical concern of influencers using substances to achieve their results while selling coaching programs, fitness routines, and diet plans with the promise of helping their clients achieve an impossible outcome steroid-free.

Lastly, there’s the issue of influencers getting paid to post about products or services that they say help them achieve their fitness results when that’s untrue.

Why this matters for online business –

As we’ve discussed in the past, the opacity of the influencer/creator/online business industry creates an environment where it’s easy for folks to get duped or cheated.

Just two weeks ago, we wrote about fitness influencer Brittany Davis and the new suit filed against her by the state of Texas for failing to deliver promised products and false advertising.

If anything, this is another reminder for consumers to be thorough in their review of products, programs, and services and not to trust any results or outcomes that appear to be “too good to be true.”

And, as business owners and creators ourselves, it’s crucial to maintain high ethical standards in our businesses and shine a light on unethical business and marketing practices when we see them.

How Ali Ayad Jobfished 40+ People By Creating a Fake Design Agency

While you may have heard of catfishing, jobfishing is probably a new one to add to your “OMG, I can’t believe someone would do that” list.

The BBC is reporting on the dark and ridiculous story of Ali Ayad, a con artist who tricked over 40 people from around the world into working for a fake design agency he founded called Madbird.

The deep digging of two 20-something team members uncovered the truth – shared in an anonymous all-staff email.

The team discovered that Ayad had manufactured:

Senior employee profiles using stolen pictures, fake bios, and fake Zoom accounts.
Madbird’s client roster with counterfeit and stolen work from other agencies.
The entire agency’s portfolio of ripped-off graphics, copy, websites, branding, designs, and more.
Madbird’s home office with stolen photos.
His complete resume including claims he had been a model, he worked for Nike, and his connections to industry leaders.

Even more disturbing than the made-up business, client list, and portfolio, employees were hired on a commission basis for their first six months of employment, with salaries beginning after the initial period.

Team members outside of the UK, where the company was allegedly based, were also promised visas for their work.

In the end, no one saw any pay from the company, and the all-staff email exposed Ayad, who went into hiding and ghosted his team members and fake company.

Why this matters for online business –

Much like the world of “work from home jobs,” online business exists in an elusive unregulated market where the opportunities you’re being presented with may not always be as real as they seem!

Not a week goes by that we don’t hear or read the story of someone in online business who has been lied to or stolen by a contractor, employee, or client.

Unfortunately, it’s a risk of doing business online.

So, as you go about doing business as a digital entrepreneur and creator, make sure you are always doing your due diligence, read client stories or testimonials to back up claims from coaches or service providers you hire and verify that they’re true, opt for a milestone or time-based pay structure (so you’re not giving all of your money up front for projects), and always have a contract when hiring someone to complete work.

Social Media News + Updates

⏰ TikTok will allow users to upload videos that are up to 10 minutes long, expanding their format and going after YouTube
Ⓜ️ Meta fully launches Facebook Reels to all users
👥 Russia restricts access to Facebook after Meta begins labeling misinformation from state-sponsored media companies
👂 Clubhouse adds in-room chat to allow listeners to engage during live audio conversations
🔗 LinkedIn plans to provide more detailed post analytics to users and introduce a laughing emoji reaction
🔗 LinkedIn announces their own podcast network with suite of 12 established shows at launch
📺 YouTube is previewing a new channel analytics that give more insight into content performances
📺 YouTube adds additional analytics for YouTube Shorts
🤖 Reddit launches a new visually-focused Discovery tab in their app to help with content discovery

In Other News

🇺🇦 Scammy Instagram ‘war pages’ are capitalizing on the conflict in Ukraine. (Input)

🎧 Spotify continues to acquire podcasts, episode libraries, and podcast tech – what’s their end goal? (The Hustle)

🔍 Google is rolling out new search filters in Workspace to make Google Drive search easier. (The Verge)

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