An Instagram account falsely claiming that Lululemon Athletica was on the hunt for 150 brand ambassadors for an upcoming campaign has been shut down.
The athletic apparel retailer took to social media to denounce the profile named “Lulurecruitment,” which received hundreds of thousands of followers upon spreading the fake promotion.
The post — reportedly shared in August — featured an image of the brand’s logo and detailed a set of requirements from ambassadors, including a minimum of 150 followers as well as following the @lulurecruitment account and reposting the announcement on Instagram Stories.
In return, the ad promised several perks such as free clothing, monthly gift cards and first access to newly released products. “You will receive free shipments of Lululemon clothing and accessories monthly,” it read, setting Dec. 31 as the supposed selection date.
Every woman on my Instagram is posting this “Lululemon Ambassador” thing in their story. It’s a scam and it’s not from @lululemon. Amazing how powerful Instagram Stories have become… pic.twitter.com/mZCwC16hAD
— Peter Stringer (@peterstringer) December 13, 2018
A number of Twitter users reached out to Lululemon to question the promotion, which the company confirmed this morning was a scam.
“The recruitment accounts you’ve noticed are not affiliated with our brand,” Lululemon tweeted. “You’ll know an account is ours when it has a little blue check mark on our profile.” (It also announced in another post that its brand protection team was working to resolve the issue.)
The recruitment accounts you've noticed are not affiliated with our brand. You'll know an account is ours when it has a little blue check mark on our profile.
— lululemon (@lululemon) December 14, 2018
The Vancouver-based business also shared a link to its official ambassador program, which provides local fitness and yoga coaches with Lululemon products in exchange for brand promotion.
Check in with your local store if you're interested in discussing becoming an ambassador—we're sure they'll be happy to meet you. You can also take a look here: https://t.co/dS8DtorqQn.
— lululemon (@lululemon) December 14, 2018
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