Charity scandal

Influencer Ferragni must pay 1.2 million euros

Chiara Ferragni

(Bild: AFP)

Italian fashion influencer Chiara Ferragni has to pay 1.2 million euros following an affair involving donations for charity projects. She reached an agreement with the Italian antitrust authorities.

Ferragni, who is one of the most influential fashion influencers in the world with 30 million followers, is said to have tricked customers into believing that they were contributing to a donation for charity projects by buying Easter eggs.

The influencer led her fan base to believe that the proceeds would largely go to a children's cancer ward, which was not the case, according to the antitrust authorities. They have now agreed with Ferragni that she will pay 1.2 million euros over three years to the charity organization "I Bambini delle Fate", which supports projects for children.

Further investigations
In December, 36-year-old Ferragni was caught up in the so-called Pandoro-gate - an affair involving the sale of overpriced Christmas cookies with the false promise that a proportion of the proceeds would go to a hospital in Turin. The state antitrust authority imposed a fine of millions for this.

The Milan public prosecutors are now investigating three cases of suspected serious fraud against Ferragni, whose business has suffered severe losses. A store in Milan where she marketed her clothes has since been forced to close. Far-reaching changes were made to the management of her companies. Following the scandal, Italy tightened the rules for influencers.