The Twitch streamer Imane “Pokimane” Anys (26) warns in a TikTok video about a sophisticated and elaborate scam that she almost fell victim to. She says that people contacted her claiming to be representatives of a lingerie company that wanted to have Pokimane as a promotional partner. However, it seems they were only interested in obtaining pictures of her naked breasts. Pokimane is currently warning smaller content creators about this scam, which is elaborate and frightening.
What was the scam of the fraudsters? The successful Twitch streamer says in a video on TikTok (via TikTok):
She received an email from people who pretended to work for a lingerie company that Pokimane had just mentioned in one of her recent videos. Pokimane says she likes the bras from this company, as they are comfortable.
In the first email, there was a bit of small talk, and apparently a promotional deal was in the works. Pokimane explains that this is quite common. Companies often thank for a mention and seek a close relationship with the streamer for PR campaigns. The 26-year-old appears to be open to such deals: If the company wants to work together and you already like their products, why not?
In a second email, the fraudsters asked for Pokimane’s body measurements so they could send her samples from the new “collection.” They mentioned three customized bras.
For Pokimane, this all seemed fine. It is known that she earns a large part of her income through exactly these kinds of collaborations and sponsorships, so she is not reliant on donations from viewers. In 2020, she even set a limit on how much people can donate to her via Twitch.
“They wanted me to send them pictures of my naked breasts”
So what was the catch? Pokimane says:
I wanted to take my body measurements and looked at the email with the diagram they sent me, and then I realized that they weren’t even showing me how to take my measurements. They wanted me to wrap a measuring tape around me and then send them pictures of my naked breasts. No company will ask you to send them pictures of your Yiddies.
That’s when she understood that she had been talking to a fraudster the whole time.
Why would she have almost fallen for the scam? As Pokimane recounts, the fraudsters went to great lengths to appear as genuine as possible. They sent her emails from credible addresses, even forwarded emails from their supposed boss, and created a professional PowerPoint presentation:
The effort they put in is simultaneously ridiculous and terrifying. I can’t even imagine what they would have done with the photos – they could have blackmailed me, maybe demanded money.
Pokimane says: When she shared her experience with a friend, the friend explained that her manager had fallen for a similar scam and had been tricked into sending photos and information to a fraudster. Although it wasn’t anything serious, still.
What are her tips for other streamers? Pokimane says people should definitely set up a PO box and not give companies their actual address. People should be careful about what information they share and should not trust anyone using a Hotmail address.
What people would have done with naked photos of Pokimane is something one can hardly imagine. Her fear of being blackmailed is very understandable.
Other female streamers report that images of their faces are montaged onto videos and photos of women engaging in sexual acts:
Streamer talks about the shockingly disgusting sides of being a gaming star
