Let me begin by saying that this isn’t in any respect what I had deliberate to weblog about at present. However y’all, I’m in a temper. I’m livid. I’m simply so extremely pissed off.
Yesterday, I shared with y’all about how I acknowledged a transport container rip-off on Fb Market. I noticed purple flags straight away, so I didn’t truly come near letting them separate me from my cash, however I’m positive others have! And the considered that makes me indignant.
We’ve all come throughout scams on-line. If we haven’t been scammed ourselves, we undoubtedly know somebody who has. My mother not too long ago purchased some big, full, attractive fake ferns from a Fb advert, or so she thought. What she truly acquired was a tiny pretend fern with about 5-7 leaves that have been about 10 inches lengthy. It was a far cry from the huge, full fern within the commercial that most likely spanned at the least three toes.
It’s to the purpose that I received’t belief any advert anymore until it’s from a enterprise I’m conversant in. I get plenty of adverts from Hole, Loft, Ann Taylor, Outdated Navy, Aerosoles, Anthropologie, and different well-known shops. I belief these. I buy from these. I take pleasure in seeing their adverts as a result of I can sustain with their gross sales. However I’m to the purpose that I don’t belief any retailer I don’t already know. And that’s actually unhappy. That’s an enormous drawback to the reliable small companies which can be attempting to get their services and products on the market to the lots. However the truth is that the scammers are ruining it for them.
How on this planet does Meta not have extra management over this? I imply, they’re one of many greatest information assortment firms on this planet. They gather a lot information on us that they know us (and our purchasing habits) higher than we all know ourselves. So if they’ve us so dialed in, how do they not have these rip-off firms dialed in? I simply don’t get it. And it appears to be getting worse and worse by the day.
So I used to be totally pissed off this morning, having already handled that rip-off transport container firm two days in the past, once I received a message from a reader who advised me about an organization utilizing my pictures. This isn’t new. Firms have been stealing my pictures for over a decade to make use of for his or her ads. I’m fairly positive each blogger on the market has needed to take care of this.
My first publicity to this was again in 2010 when a Texas inside designer stole pictures of a room I embellished for the Waco Symphony Showhouse years in the past and used my photos to promote her enterprise. I wrote about it right here. And it has occurred many instances since then. I’ve had contractors, builders, and handymen steal my pictures and use them to promote their companies. It astounds me how a few of these individuals really feel so free to steal photos of another person’s work after which declare it as their very own work and use it to promote their companies.
So when this commenter mentioned an organization was utilizing my photos, that’s what I anticipated. (Had I learn her remark extra fastidiously, I’d have realized this was very completely different.) However this had nothing to do with my home or a room I had designed or embellished. No, the pictures this firm was utilizing have been OF MY FACE. That they had actually stolen earlier than and after photos OF MY FACE to make use of to promote their (most likely rip-off) pores and skin tightening product.
That is the web site. The corporate identify is tiny, however it’s known as Meterperion…

They’re promoting this eye tightener cream, though the girl within the Fb advert video makes use of it throughout her face…

I’ve by no means used this firm’s product, and I had by no means even heard of it till at present. However that didn’t cease them from stealing my photos and making this pretend earlier than and after to push their rip-off product.

To start with, what a silly comparability! In that first image, I don’t have on any make-up in any respect. Within the second image, I’ve on make-up, my hair is finished, and the lighting is vastly completely different. However additionally they retouched that second image! I’ve been utilizing castor oil on my face (though I feel that image was taken earlier than I began, or proper after I began), and whereas castor oil has helped my pores and skin tremendously, and I can see an enormous distinction within the fantastic strains and wrinkles on my face, it most actually didn’t flip my face into porcelain, which is what it seems like of their ridiculous retouched picture above.
That is the picture they stole. I nonetheless have wrinkles. I haven’t seen that particular person above of their “after” picture in about 25 years.

I imply, I’m so unbelievably indignant on the sheer degree of dishonesty and scams. Perhaps we’d all be higher off returning to a “purchase native” mentality. You by no means know what you’re going to get on-line, however it appears to me like at the least 50% of the ads out there are entire scams.
And FYI, I’m not utilizing plain castor oil. I do love castor oil, however my bonus sister Cathi despatched me some tallow and castor oil cream that she makes and requested me to attempt it out. That stuff is AMAZING!!! I had tried tallow earlier than (the Kushi model), and whereas I did prefer it loads, it was by no means a kind of merchandise that I assumed, “Oh my gosh! That is superb!!” In truth, I had cancelled my subscription as a result of I most well-liked my plain castor oil.
However once I began utilizing Cathi’s tallow and castor oil balm, my pores and skin LOVED it! It makes my pores and skin really feel so silky easy and moisturized. In order that’s what I exploit at night time now. I nonetheless get the advantages of the castor oil with the added moisturizing advantages of tallow. Her stuff is so good that I’ve advised her I can by no means be with out it now. She’s only a one-person operation, however you may get some right here. She makes small batches at a time, so if she’s bought out, you possibly can test again later.
Anyway, the ethical of the story right here is that, in my humble opinion, the web is now stuffed principally with scammers attempting to separate you out of your cash. Follow tried and true companies, or companies urged to you by individuals you now and belief. As a result of when you get exterior of these companies, it’s just like the Wild West on the market.
Additionally, be at liberty to go flood the remark part of this firm’s ads along with your sincere opinion of them stealing photos from me to promote their rip-off product. I left two feedback, however they deleted them. And in the event that they stole my photos, I’d think about that the remainder of the “earlier than and after” photos on that product itemizing are stolen as nicely. And I’m positive the so-called “critiques” are pretend additionally.

Addicted 2 Adorning is the place I share my DIY and adorning journey as I transform and beautify the 1948 fixer higher that my husband, Matt, and I purchased in 2013. Matt has M.S. and is unable to do bodily work, so I do the vast majority of the work on the home on my own. You’ll be able to study extra about me right here.