Temu directed as much as $962 million toward partnership advertisements on Meta platforms in the United Kingdom and European Union over a 16-month stretch ending April 2026, according to research from Online Risk Labs, and a substantial portion of that money flowed to accounts that appear to be fabricated.
The fake influencer economy
The top-performing creator in Temu's partnership program, an Instagram account called @findgadgetswithme with 183,000 followers, posts AI-generated videos of people using bath mitts to wipe dirt from their skin. The account, which operates under the name Ya Lily, almost certainly does not represent a real person. Its Facebook counterpart, labeled "Must good," lists a location of "England, Birmingham, MO, United States," a bio reading "You are my dream of dead," and an email address that appears to be Chinese. Researchers found that 73 of the 100 leading creators amplified by Temu's partnership ads are likely fakes.
The scale of the spend
Ya Lily's content ran in nearly 109,541 Temu campaigns during the period, roughly 225 per day, and was viewed more than 1 billion times across both platforms. Online Risk Labs, a Czech non-profit that studies systemic risk online, derived its spending estimate from total impressions and average cost per reach. The group calculates that Temu alone accounts for nearly 2% of all revenue Meta earns from the region in any given quarter. Two independent social-media advertising experts reviewed the data and deemed the figures plausible.
Legal exposure
European law prohibits misleading advertising formats, a rule that could ensnare Temu if the platform knowingly paid for synthetic personas. Stuart Lester, who leads the advertising and marketing group at Mishcon de Reya in London, said the arrangement raises legal questions. It remains unclear whether Temu orchestrated the network or was defrauded by scammers selling access to phantom influencers. Meta declined to comment. Temu and the Ya Lily account did not respond to requests for comment.
The data gap
The research covers only the UK and 27 EU countries because the Digital Services Act compels large platforms to publish a public archive of every ad they run. No equivalent database exists for the United States, leaving the full extent of the practice unknown. Vendula Prokupkova, who manages Online Risk Labs, estimates that genuine creators make up no more than 15% to 20% of Temu's top 100 partners, and she expressed particular skepticism about accounts the platform identifies as being based in Russia, China, or Iran.