Is buying followers illegal?
Buying followers is not illegal in itself in the US. Since October 21, 2024, the FTC rule at 16 CFR 465.8 prohibits buying or selling fake followers, likes or views that you knew or should have known were fake and that materially misrepresent your influence for a commercial purpose. Separately, almost every major platform's rules prohibit buying engagement.
Last updated General information, not legal advice.By PlayerSells. Editorial policy
The short answer
- US law. The FTC rule covers buyers and sellers, but only fake indicators, only with knowledge, and only for a commercial purpose.
- Platform rules. Meta (Instagram, Facebook, Threads), TikTok, X, YouTube, Spotify, Twitch, Kick and Discord prohibit buying or artificially inflating engagement. Telegram's Terms of Service do not mention it.
- In practice. Platform rules apply regardless of purpose: the platforms may remove the engagement and restrict or suspend the account. If the numbers help you sell, the FTC rule can apply too.
What the FTC rule on fake followers says
The rule is 16 CFR Part 465, the FTC's Trade Regulation Rule on the Use of Consumer Reviews and Testimonials, published in the Federal Register on August 22, 2024 (89 FR 68034): This rule is effective October 21, 2024.
Section 465.8, Misuse of fake indicators of social media influence
, is the part about followers:
It is an unfair or deceptive act or practice and a violation of this part for anyone to:
(a) Sell or distribute fake indicators of social media influence that they knew or should have known to be fake and that can be used by individuals or businesses to materially misrepresent their influence or importance for a commercial purpose
(b) Purchase or procure fake indicators of social media influence that they knew or should have known to be fake and that materially misrepresent their influence or importance for a commercial purpose.
Two definitions in section 465.1 decide what counts:
- Indicators of social media influence, 465.1(j)
- Metrics
such as followers, friends, connections, subscribers, views, plays, likes, saves, shares, reposts, and comments.
- Fake indicators, 465.1(h)
- Indicators
generated by bots, purported individual accounts not associated with a real individual, accounts created with a real individual's personal information without their consent, or hijacked accounts, or that otherwise do not reflect a real individual's or entity's activities, opinions, findings, or experiences.
Who the FTC rule applies to
The rule says anyone
: paragraph (a) covers sellers, paragraph (b) buyers. On the buyer's side, the FTC said:
This prohibition is limited to situations in which the buyer knew or should have known that the indicators were fake and misrepresent the buyer's influence or importance for a commercial purpose.
Knew or should have known
The FTC's questions and answers on the rule (November 2024) address a business sold fake followers without knowing it: you wouldn't be liable unless there were some red flags that should have tipped you off that the followers were fake.
The X fake follower audit scores an account's newest followers against 12 bot signals.
A commercial purpose
The preamble says: While some individuals may not be doing so for a commercial purpose, those individuals are excluded from the rule's scope.
What the rule does not cover
Paid or rewarded engagement from real people: The use of incentivized indicia of social media influence is not necessarily deceptive in all cases, and it is beyond the scope of this rulemaking.
Followers gained through paid influencers do not count as fake, because these followers are real people who chose to follow the business account.
What the penalties are for buying fake followers
A violation can bring civil penalties: 16 CFR 1.98(d) sets the maximum under section 5(m)(1)(A) of the FTC Act at $53,088 per violation.
That is a cap, not a fixed fine, and the preamble says the 'should have known' standard has no bearing here on the imposition of civil penalties, for which the Commission must prove that a defendant met the higher knowledge standard of section 5(m)(1)(A)
.
Private parties cannot sue under the rule: No, the rule does not provide a private right of action.
As of October 8, 2026, we have not found a published FTC enforcement decision under section 465.8.
Has anyone been punished for selling fake followers?
Yes, sellers, before the rule existed. On January 30, 2019, the New York Attorney General settled with Devumi, a seller of fake followers, likes and views:
This settlement marks the first finding by a law enforcement agency that selling fake social media engagement and using stolen identities to engage in online activity is illegal.
On October 21, 2019, the FTC announced its first-ever complaint challenging the sale of fake indicators of social media influence
, also against Devumi (FTC press release). It ended in a $2.5 million judgment against Devumi's owner, and upon payment of $250,000, the remainder of the judgment will be suspended
. Both cases came before the 2024 rule: the FTC case under Section 5 of the FTC Act, which still applies next to it, and the New York case as a settlement with the state Attorney General.
Is buying followers illegal in the EU or the UK?
European Union
Directive (EU) 2019/2161, applying from May 28, 2022, lists in Annex I point 23c:
Submitting or commissioning another legal or natural person to submit false consumer reviews or endorsements, or misrepresenting consumer reviews or social endorsements, in order to promote products.
The European Commission's Guidance 2021/C 526/01 (section 4.2.4) adds: The notion of 'endorsements' should be interpreted broadly, covering also practices related to fake followers, reactions and views.
These rules apply to traders promoting products; a consumer is covered only insofar as they qualify as 'acting in the name of or on behalf of the trader'
.
United Kingdom
Schedule 20 of the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act 2024, in force since April 6, 2025, covers consumer reviews: 'consumer review' means a review of a product, a trader or any other matter relevant to a transactional decision
(paragraph 13). Neither the Act nor the CMA's guidance on it (CMA208) mentions followers or likes.
What each platform's rules say about buying followers
Each platform's own policy, quoted as read on October 8, 2026:
| Platform | What the rule says | Stated consequence | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
What the rule saysAttempting to or successfully selling, buying, or exchanging for engagement, such as likes, shares, views, follows, clicks | Stated consequenceEngagement may be removed, and “your account may be disabled or terminated.” | Source | |
What the rule saysThe same Meta spam policy: selling, buying, or exchanging for engagement, such as likes, shares, views, follows, clicks | Stated consequenceNone named next to this rule. | Source | |
| Threads | What the rule saysIts terms supplement and amend the Instagram Terms of Use and the Meta Community Standards, so Meta's spam rule applies. | Stated consequenceSame as Instagram. | Source |
| TikTok | What the rule saysBuying or selling followers or engagement for financial gain | Stated consequence“we'll remove fake likes, followers, or other inflated signals”; the account may be restricted or banned. | Source |
| X (Twitter) | What the rule sayscoordinating with and/or compensating others to conduct account metric inflation in any X features, including Likes, Polls, Replies, Reposts, Lists, Views, or Follows | Stated consequence“For severe violations, accounts will be permanently suspended at first detection.” | Source |
| YouTube | What the rule saysYouTube doesn't allow anything that artificially increases the number of views, likes, comments, or other metrics | Stated consequenceA warning, then strikes; after 3 strikes in 90 days the channel may be terminated. | Source |
| Spotify | What the rule saysSpotify strictly prohibits using any third party service that promises streams or playlist placement in exchange for money. | Stated consequenceNo royalties and not counted; in serious cases the track is removed. Since April 1, 2024, labels and distributors are charged per track for very high rates. | Source |
| Twitch | What the rule saysEngage in viewership tampering (such as artificially inflating follow or live viewer stats) | Stated consequenceEnforcement “including and up to indefinite suspension”; Twitch “will not punish a user for the actions of another.” | Source |
| Kick | What the rule saysGuideline 7 (updated March 19, 2026): The use of bots, engagement manipulation, or third-party tools to artificially inflate views, followers, or interactions is prohibited. | Stated consequenceTemporary or indefinite suspension; in serious cases “permanent account bans”. | Source |
| Telegram | What the rule saysNothing in the Terms of Service. The ad guidelines (5.11) bar ads for services for inflating metrics/followers. | Stated consequenceNone stated. | Source |
| Discord | What the rule saysItem 15 (effective September 29, 2025) covers artificially inflating server membership, manipulating engagement metrics, and selling artificial engagement services. | Stated consequenceNone named in this item. | Source |
Each PlayerSells service page repeats its platform's rule, for example Instagram followers, TikTok followers, Twitter (X) followers and Twitch followers.
Myths about buying followers, checked against the texts
Buying followers is illegal in the US.
- Not in itself: section 465.8 needs fake indicators, knowledge and a commercial misrepresentation. Section 5 of the FTC Act and state law can still apply.
Engagement from real people is fine.
- The FTC rule leaves it out, but Meta, X, YouTube, TikTok and Discord prohibit paid real engagement too.
Only the seller is liable.
- Section 465.8(b) covers buyers.
Every violation costs $53,088.
- That is the cap per violation, and civil penalties need a higher knowledge standard.
You will definitely be banned.
- Most texts say "may". Closest to certain: X permanently suspends severe violations at first detection.
California's bot law bans buying followers.
- Business and Professions Code section 17941 (SB 1001) regulates bots that hide that they are bots. It does not mention follower counts.
The UK DMCC Act banned fake followers.
- It covers consumer reviews and does not mention followers or likes.
What PlayerSells requires from buyers and sellers
A buyer ticks this before paying, and the version they saw is stored on the order:
I am ordering for an account I own or manage, I will use this within the platform's rules, and not to mislead anyone about real reach or popularity (for example in ads or sponsorships). Services are provided by independent sellers; PlayerSells does not provide or recommend them.
A seller confirms this every time a listing is saved:
I deliver this service with resources I am entitled to use: no hijacked, stolen or impersonating accounts, never a buyer's password or login, and no claim about the delivered accounts I cannot back up. Listings that break this are removed and their proceeds can be withheld.
Staff review each listing before it goes live, and the order form has no password field. Every page of the social media services board carries a notice that the services come from independent sellers, not PlayerSells, and that PlayerSells does not recommend or endorse buying engagement.
Full terms: PlayerSells Terms of Service. For sellers: how selling SMM services on PlayerSells works.
Questions people ask about buying followers
Is it legal to buy followers?
In the US, not in itself. The FTC rule covers fake followers you knew or should have known were fake, used to misrepresent your influence for a commercial purpose.
Is it legal to buy IG followers?
The FTC rule applies as on any platform, but Instagram's rules prohibit it: Meta's spam policy bans buying engagement, and Instagram says the account may be disabled or terminated.
Is it legal to buy TikTok followers?
The FTC rule applies the same way. TikTok prohibits buying or selling followers or engagement for financial gain, and says it removes fake likes and followers.
Is it bannable to buy followers?
On most platforms, yes: Meta, TikTok, X, YouTube, Spotify, Twitch, Kick and Discord prohibit buying or artificially inflating engagement. Telegram's Terms of Service do not mention it.
Is it possible to buy Twitter followers?
Sellers offer them, but X prohibits paying others to inflate Follows and permanently suspends severe violations at first detection. The FTC rule can apply as well.
Can I get banned for buying followers?
You can, though most texts say "may": Instagram may disable the account, YouTube gives strikes, Twitch and Kick suspend. X permanently suspends severe violations at first detection.
Is it illegal to sell followers?
Yes, when they are fake, the seller knew or should have known it, and they can misrepresent influence for a commercial purpose: 16 CFR 465.8(a). Devumi, a seller, settled with the FTC and New York in 2019.
Does the FTC rule apply outside the US?
It is a US federal rule. EU law covers traders using fake endorsements, which Commission guidance reads as including fake followers. The UK's DMCC Act covers consumer reviews, not followers.
Is buying engagement from real people allowed?
The FTC calls incentivized engagement beyond the scope of its rule, but Meta, X, YouTube, TikTok and Discord prohibit paid engagement even from real people.
Is it safe to buy Instagram followers?
Instagram's rules prohibit it. It may remove the engagement and disable or terminate the account, and repeatedly buying likes can keep an account out of recommendations.
Does buying followers work?
The platforms say the numbers may not last: TikTok removes fake likes and followers, Instagram may remove the engagement, and bought Spotify streams earn no royalties and are not counted.
Sources and notes
Law and regulators
- 16 CFR Part 465, Trade Regulation Rule on the Use of Consumer Reviews and Testimonials ecfr.gov
- Final rule and preamble, 89 FR 68034 (FR Doc 2024-18519), August 22, 2024 federalregister.gov
- FTC press release on the final rule, August 14, 2024 ftc.gov
- FTC, Consumer Reviews and Testimonials Rule: Questions and Answers, November 2024 ftc.gov
- 16 CFR 1.98, adjustment of civil monetary penalty amounts ecfr.gov
- New York Attorney General press release on Devumi, January 30, 2019 ag.ny.gov
- FTC press release on Devumi, October 21, 2019 ftc.gov
- Directive (EU) 2019/2161 eur-lex.europa.eu
- European Commission Guidance 2021/C 526/01 eur-lex.europa.eu
- Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act 2024, Schedule 20 legislation.gov.uk
Platform policies
- Meta spam policy transparency.meta.com
- Instagram Help: like and follower apps help.instagram.com
- Instagram Help: recommendations help.instagram.com
- Threads supplemental terms help.instagram.com
- TikTok integrity and authenticity policy tiktok.com
- X authenticity policy help.x.com
- YouTube fake engagement policy support.google.com
- Spotify on artificial streaming artists.spotify.com
- Twitch Community Guidelines safety.twitch.tv
- Twitch Help: viewership botting help.twitch.tv
- Kick Community Guidelines kick.com
- Telegram Terms of Service telegram.org
- Telegram Ads guidelines ads.telegram.org
- Discord Community Guidelines discord.com