Devumi
Former seller of social-media followers
- Entries
- 7
- On the record
- 2
- Stories
- 1
- Latest entry
- Oct 22, 2019
The record
Devumi sold followers, subscribers, views and likes on Twitter, YouTube, LinkedIn, Pinterest, Vine and SoundCloud through Devumi.com and sister sites, according to the Federal Trade Commission. Its owner and chief executive was German Calas Jr. The FTC's complaint says Devumi or its parent company paid him $2.5 million between 2014 and 2018, and lists Devumi as an inactive limited liability company in Wyoming and Florida.
A New York Times investigation in January 2018 reported that Devumi had supplied more than 200 million Twitter followers, often using accounts that impersonated real people. Calas denied selling fake followers and said he knew nothing about stolen identities. The next day New York's attorney general opened an investigation, and according to the attorney general's office Devumi stopped operating in mid-2018 as its sales fell.
Two settlements followed. New York announced in January 2019 that Devumi and companies owned by Calas were barred from the conduct, calling it the first law-enforcement finding that selling fake engagement and using stolen identities is illegal. In October 2019 the FTC filed its first case over fake indicators of social media influence and lodged a stipulated settlement with it the same day; the defendants neither admitted nor denied the allegations.
Roles and honours on the record
- 2014-2018 Operator of Devumi.com, TwitterBoost.co, Buyview.co and Buyplays.co, selling followers, subscribers, views and likes; owner and CEO German Calas Jr. source
- as of 2019 Inactive Wyoming and Florida limited liability company, last based in Denver and West Palm Beach source
- as of 2019 One of several companies owned by German Calas Jr., with DisruptX Inc., Social Bull Inc. and Bytion Inc. source
Every entry, newest first
- Ruled
FTC settlement: $2.5M fine on owner German Calas Jr., $250,000 payable, remainder suspended, TechCrunch reported. Biggest creator scandals ranked: MrBeast suit first, Fyre second
Stories in this file
The record, entry by entry
- 2018-01-28 Reported New York attorney general Eric Schneiderman opened an investigation into Devumi a day after a New York Times report on the fake-follower industry, saying impersonation and deception are illegal under New York law. The Verge report
- 2018-01-29 Reported The New York Times investigation reported that Devumi had provided more than 200 million Twitter followers from a stock of at least 3.5 million automated accounts and had more than 200,000 customers. Calas denied selling fake followers and said he knew nothing about stolen social identities. The Irish Times, publishing the New York Times investigation
- 2019-01-30 Official Attorney General Letitia James announced a settlement barring Devumi and related Calas companies from selling fake engagement, finding that it and the use of stolen identities online are illegal deception and impersonation. Some fake accounts had copied real people's pictures and profiles without consent. The office said Devumi had ceased operations in mid-2018, after its investigation began and sales fell. New York Attorney General, press release
- 2019-10-18 Filed The FTC sued Devumi and Calas in the Southern District of Florida, alleging more than 58,000 purchases of fake Twitter followers, over 4,000 sales of fake YouTube subscribers, over 32,000 sales of fake YouTube views and over 800 orders of fake LinkedIn followers. It said the conduct stopped only after the FTC issued a civil investigative demand. FTC v. Devumi, LLC, No. 9:19-cv-81419, complaint
- 2019-10-18 Official A stipulated order for permanent injunction and monetary judgment was lodged with the court; Devumi and Calas neither admitted nor denied the complaint's allegations. FTC v. Devumi, LLC, No. 9:19-cv-81419, stipulated order
- 2019-10-21 Official The FTC announced the settlement, approved 5-0, banning the defendants from selling social media influence and imposing a $2.5 million judgment on Calas, suspended upon payment of $250,000. The agency called it its first complaint challenging the sale of fake indicators of social media influence. FTC press release
Documents
- Complaint, FTC v. Devumi, LLC and German Calas, Jr., No. 9:19-cv-81419 (S.D. Fla., Oct. 18, 2019)
- Stipulated order for permanent injunction and monetary judgment, FTC v. Devumi, LLC
- FTC press release, Devumi and CEO settle charges they sold fake indicators of social media influence (Oct. 21, 2019)
- New York Attorney General press release on the Devumi settlement (Jan. 30, 2019)