AGCM

According to the Authority, Luca Marani, Big Luca, Alessandro Berton, Hamza Mourai, Michele Leka and Davide Caiazzo would promote strategies to achieve high earnings, without making it clear that they were advertising. Addressees of the moral suasion were Ludovica Meral Frasca, Sofia Giaele De Donà, Milena Miconi and Alessandra Ventura, who allegedly sponsored brands and tourist facilities, also hiding the commercial purpose and boasting broad popularity based mainly on fake followers.

The Italian Competition Authority has opened six investigative proceedings against six influencers promising easy and certain earnings. In particular, Luca Marani, Big Luca, Alessandro Berton and Davide Caiazzo would systematically publish, via social platforms and websites, photos and/or videos in which they would offer for payment methods of obtaining substantial easy and secure earnings along the lines of the winning model they claim to embody. Moreover, the four influencers do not appear to use any wording informing the consumer of the advertising nature of the content, nor do they adequately highlight elements relevant to purchasing decisions such as the cost of the goods and/or services offered, the identity and/or address of the company. Finally, they seem to boast a popularity distorted by the presence of fake followers on their Instagram profiles and, in the cases of Luca Marani, Big Luca and Davide Caiazzo, by apparently unverifiable testimonials and reviews.

Hamza Mourai and Michele Leka would systematically publish, through social platforms, photos and/or videos in which they appear to advertise and offer, for payment, recommendations and/or methods for easy and secure earnings through investing in cryptocurrencies, without referencing the associated risks. These two influencers would also not indicate the promotional nature of the communications offered and would not adequately highlight elements relevant to purchasing decisions.

The Authority also launched four moral suasion initiatives against the influencers Ludovica Meral Frasca, Sofia Giaele De Donà, Milena Miconi and Alessandra Ventura. In fact, they would post photos and videos on Instagram highlighting brands, hotels and other tourist facilities, with which they are believed to have business relations, without mentioning the promotional nature of this content. The influencers themselves would also boast a popularity that could be distorted by a considerable number of fake followers on their Instagram profile.

Rome, 10 July 2024