Temu spent $962 million on advertising that may have financed an army of fake creators across Facebook and Instagram, according to research from an independent nonprofit that studies online risk. The findings raise concerns that the e-commerce company could be using fraudulent accounts or being exploited by scammers.
Fake Accounts at the Top
One prominent partner creator appears as “Ya Lily” on Instagram, where she has amassed followers and promoted products through 109,541 ad campaigns. Her Facebook profile lists a contradictory location and a bio that reads “You are my dream of dead” with a Chinese-sounding email address. The nonprofit Online Risk Labs, based in the Czech Republic, judges that Ya Lily is almost certainly not a real person.
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The ORL study examined the top 100 creators whose posts were boosted by Temu’s partnership ads across the U.K. and Europe over a 16-month period ending in April 2026. Researchers concluded that 73 of those accounts are likely fake. They estimate that Ya Lily’s content alone appeared in roughly 109,541 Temu ad campaigns, averaging about 225 per day, and reached more than one billion views on Meta’s platforms.
Vendula Prokůpková, ORL’s manager, told the outlet that while some authentic creators exist among Temu’s top partners, they probably represent no more than 15–20 percent of the total pool. She added that accounts claiming to be based in Russia, China, or Iran raised particular concerns about authenticity.
Legal Exposure in Europe
The use of fabricated influencer accounts could conflict with advertising regulations on both sides of the Channel. Stuart Lester, a partner at Mishcon de Reya in London who leads the advertising and marketing group, explained that European law bans misleading advertising formats and that creating fake accounts to promote products would likely violate those rules.
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“By all means utilize Facebook and Instagram and influencers, but know that there are rules that you have to abide by, and you certainly can’t be creating fake accounts and portraying these as real individuals,” Lester said. He noted that the U.K.’s Digital Markets, Competition & Consumers Act of 2024 and the recently passed E.U. AI Act could apply.
For everyday shoppers scrolling through social media, this pattern of fake creators raises practical concerns beyond legal theory. When the faces promoting products are invented and the reviews are automated, the ability to make informed purchasing decisions diminishes significantly.
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Neither Temu nor Ya Lily responded to multiple requests for comment. Meta declined to provide a statement.
How Partnership Ads Work
Partnership ads let creators enable their posts for use as advertisements if they include a product recommendation and purchase link. When a brand like Temu approves a post, it can spend money to boost the content through Meta’s algorithms. The creator receives payment either through a contractual agreement or a percentage of resulting sales.
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