Singapore-based influencer's identity stolen in elaborate fraud scheme
Singapore-based social media influencer Daisy Anne Mitchell's pursuit of overdue payment from local brand Hanjan unearthed a shocking fraud scheme involving impersonation and fabricated invoices.
"Someone from the inside of a brand that I worked with impersonated me, embezzled company funds, and committed fraud under my name," revealed Mitchell, who has lived in Singapore since she was five years old, in a TikTok video detailing her ordeal.
The brand in question, Hanjan, initially hired Mitchell for a TikTok campaign in late 2024.
She submitted her invoice for $2,500 on Dec 10, but after repeated delays and excuses about "internal finance issues", as she shared on TikTok, she took legal action.
Her case with the Small Claims Tribunal triggered an unexpected response from Hanjan, claiming it had processed her payment.
Then came the calls and messages from someone in the Hanjan team, whom Mitchell referred to as "Mike".
Mike claimed payment had been made to her PayPal account in December 2024, which she promptly checked and found nothing.
He then provided a payment receipt - for $4,000, made to a Lauren Elizabeth Hurlbut.
Mitchell explained her confusion on TikTok: "Oh, they mixed up my invoice number with somebody else. They thought they paid me, but actually they just paid this random girl called Lauren."
A second invoice from February 2025, also for $4,000 and also for Lauren, further solidified the deception. Mitchell pointed out that both invoices featured her name and branding, a detail Mike seemed to miss.
Confronting Mike with the discrepancies brought another twist. He claimed to have been CC'd in all communication with Mitchell, an e-mail address she didn't recognise: mitchelldaisyanne@gmail.com, according to a screenshot from Mike's screen.
"My e-mail address is daisyannemitchell@yahoo.com. My official one is contact@angmoremedia.com," Mitchell stated.
As Mike shared his e-mail thread, the impersonation became obvious.
Mitchell's WhatsApp messages and media kit had been copied, modified and used to create a false persona to defraud Hanjan.
"All my documents have been tampered with, my invoices have been fabricated," she said.
This revelation came as a shock to both Mitchell and the company.
"The employee I was talking to from the company was impersonating me. He used my words, he copied my messages, and sent fake e-mails pretending to be me," Mitchell told The New Paper.
"I cannot take this person to court. I cannot file a police report against them because they do not live in Singapore."
Mitchell eventually accepted a lower settlement from Hanjan but with the crucial condition that she could share her story publicly. Hanjan initially wanted her to sign a non-disclosure agreement (NDA) to prevent her from speaking about the fraud.
"They wanted me to sign an NDA. They didn't want me to talk about it," she shared.
"I just felt given the severity of the case, it didn't really seem like they were trying to go about it properly."
She felt strongly that bringing this issue to light would benefit others in the influencer community.
In response to The New Paper's request for comment, Gushcloud - the parent company of Hajan - said it was aware of the incident.
"While Hanjan operates as a subsidiary of Gushcloud, it is an independent entity responsible for managing its own influencer projects, talent partnerships, and internal processes," said a spokesperson from the company.
"This matter has been fully addressed internally, and the amount due to Ms Mitchell has been settled. Necessary legal steps have also been taken, including reporting the case to the authorities. As this case is now with the appropriate authorities, we will not be making further comments."