Gabby thought she would ‘get rich quick’ thanks to a new money-making trend sweeping Instagram. Now she has an urgent warning for Aussies – and the signs to look out for

When 23-year-old Gabbriella saw an influx of TikTok videos with people raving about how a digital marketing course “changed their lives,” she was intrigued.

Gabby, from Dunedin, New Zealand, normally scrolled past such claims, but she also wondered why “so many people” were saying the same thing.

All the young women like her claimed to make thousands of dollars.

It got to a point where she decided to take a risk and try it herself in the hopes of making some money. She invested $600 in a “digital marketing course.”

But she soon realized it was too good to be true – it was a pyramid scheme – and one that has become increasingly popular.

‘They claimed the course is ‘life-changing’ and that they now earn ‘$30,000 a month’. They make it sound like it’s easy and anyone can do it,” she told FEMAIL.

“I actually bought the course to see if it was a scam or not. It cost me NZD$650 ($597AUD).”

Despite feeling “terrified” before spending the money, she recorded and documented the process for those who feel the same on TikTok.

The course taught her how to create an online store, how to start selling the course, and the basics of digital marketing.

‘You buy the course and receive master’s resale rights. So you can sell it as your own product and you get 100 percent profit,” she explained in a TikTok. video.

After taking the course, she admitted it “wasn’t worth the money” as all the information is free on YouTube – and she can’t get a refund.

“It’s a group of people trying to sell something meaningless to vulnerable people so they can continue the cycle,” she said.

She sternly warned others to ignore those who claim they can help you make money as it is a pyramid scheme.

‘Save your money. If you want to learn more about digital marketing, just watch YouTube videos,” Gabby added.

‘Faceless digital marketing’: trendsetting social media

Gabby’s experience has a lot in common with a “money-making” trend sweeping social media known as faceless digital marketing.

The programs revolve around selling courses that teach others how to make money using solely social media – with the central appeal being that the marketer doesn’t have to show their face.

Moreover, anyone can start a faceless marketing profile and sell online ‘courses’ of different prices.

Instagram is flooded with accounts touting the products, using terms like “authentic faceless marketing,” “faceless marketing for introverts,” “faceless digital marketing,” and so on.

The pages feature compelling calls to action to attract people, including “imagine what could happen,” “suggest my strategy,” and “$29,000 in 15 weeks, I’ll motivate you.”

The thought of making some extra money from home sounds tempting, but if you dig a little deeper, it won’t be long before the alarm bells start ringing.

Helen Baker, a Brisbane-based financial advisor and founder of On Your Own Two Feet, told FEMAIL there is a single principle that Australians looking to make money should keep in mind.

“If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is,” she said.

‘You don’t know who you are dealing with when it comes to these profiles. Is there any responsibility? Who are you actually talking to when you contact them?’

The trend has caught the attention of Reddit users, with critics picking apart the plans.

“Why are these (profiles) popping up everywhere… I don’t understand the appeal of posting random stock content with a million words in the captions that talk about nothing. I would like a good explanation,” one person wrote.

Another offered some insight, saying, “The ‘talking about nothing’ thing is a strategy, so you look at all their posts and scroll through their profile to find out how they do what they do.

“Then you go to their stories and get sucked into their constant income claims and screenshots. I do not feel like it. It functions. It’s not even completely a scam or unethical. I just think it kind of resonates with people.”

The danger with this type of business model is that it lures the vulnerable who don’t have extra money to spend on marketing that may not work for everyone, there is no customer service and you have no guarantee of returns.

Although marketing is ‘always a risk’, it is almost impossible to measure return on investment as digital faceless marketing is in its fetal stages.

“You’re taking someone’s word as fact when you may not get the same results,” Ms. Baker added.

Ms. Baker knows all too well what it’s like to be scammed by a marketer.

Ten years ago, she relied on someone to help her business grow, but she was left $10,000 out of pocket.

Before spending any money, she suggested taking a step back and making a carefully calculated decision.

“Think about whether you can make your money back and whether it’s money you can afford to lose,” she said.

“There are so many get-rich-quick schemes these days and it’s so hard to know what’s authentic and what’s not.

‘In so many situations, someone always gets rich at someone else’s expense. Even online, many reviews and comments are written by robots or AI.

“If you have a bad gut feeling, don’t question it, just run.”