Is this brand real?
Paste the sender’s email address and the brand it says it is. You get an answer straight away — no account needed.
How it works
IU keeps the web domains it has seen each brand use: on its website, its job and affiliate pages, and in sponsorships disclosed in public videos. The check compares the sender’s domain with that list, and looks in the email for patterns common in scams: files to download, a fee before you are paid, requests for passwords or login codes, moving to a chat app, payment in crypto or gift cards.
It never says a brand is safe — only whether the sender matches what IU knows. You can also look up a brand’s record or forward a suspicious email to check@influencerunion.com.
Page updated 2026-11-07.
Questions
What are the signs of a fake sponsorship email?
The most common: a free email address (Gmail, Outlook) for a big brand, a domain that is almost the brand’s name, a file to download or an app to install before you can see the brief, a request to pay for a “kit” or “shipping”, and pressure to move to WhatsApp or Telegram.
Why is a free email address a warning sign?
Real brands and agencies write from their own company domain. A free address is not proof of a scam on its own — small shops use them — but for a well-known brand it almost always means someone is pretending.
A brand wants me to download a file to see the brief. Is that normal?
No. A brief is a document or a page you can read in the browser. A file you have to “open to unlock”, especially a .zip, .exe or .scr, is the way most YouTube channel takeovers start.
Does a “real” result mean the deal is safe?
It means the email came from a domain IU knows belongs to that brand. Still agree pay, usage and dates in writing, and never pay anything to receive a deal.
What should I do if I was scammed?
Change your passwords and sign out other sessions, turn on two-step verification, contact the platform’s creator support, and write to hello@influencerunion.com so we can warn other creators.