{"id":12563,"date":"2023-11-23T11:19:40","date_gmt":"2023-11-23T11:19:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.taxpolicy.org.uk\/?p=12563"},"modified":"2024-01-22T11:52:53","modified_gmt":"2024-01-22T11:52:53","slug":"shady_scam_mogul_press","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/heacham.neidles.com\/2023\/11\/23\/shady_scam_mogul_press\/","title":{"rendered":"Mogul Press: a &#8220;PR firm&#8221; that is either a deeply shady business or a scam."},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"\"><strong>No tax angle here, just a warning about a businesses that spams Twitter, LinkedIn and Instagram users, and engages in deceptive advertising practices that may be illegal in the UK, EU and US.<\/strong> <strong><em>UPDATED as of 7 January 2024<\/em><\/strong>.<sup class=\"modern-footnotes-footnote \" data-mfn=\"1\" data-mfn-post-scope=\"0000000000002f4e0000000000000000_12563\"><a href=\"javascript:void(0)\"  role=\"button\" aria-pressed=\"false\" aria-describedby=\"mfn-content-0000000000002f4e0000000000000000_12563-1\">1<\/a><\/sup><span id=\"mfn-content-0000000000002f4e0000000000000000_12563-1\" role=\"tooltip\" class=\"modern-footnotes-footnote__note\" tabindex=\"0\" data-mfn=\"1\">The original title of this post said Mogul Press &#8220;appears to be a scam&#8221;. I have now replaced that tentative conclusion.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">In November 2023, I received a Twitter direct message:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"is-style-default wp-block-image size-full is-resized\"><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"850\" height=\"974\" src=\"https:\/\/heacham.neidles.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/ana-DM.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12564\" style=\"width:409px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/heacham.neidles.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/ana-DM.png 850w, https:\/\/heacham.neidles.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/ana-DM-768x880.png 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 850px) 100vw, 850px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">I sent a polite response that we&#8217;re a non-profit and have a PR budget of \u00a30.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">Over the next few weeks I received three more identical messages:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<!-- default-view.php -->\n<div\n\tclass=\"ngg-galleryoverview default-view \n\t\t\"\n\tid=\"ngg-gallery-a09b48bb0c50298bfc67d2cd6b521a94-1\">\n\n\t\t<!-- Thumbnails -->\n\t\t\t\t<div id=\"ngg-image-0\" class=\"ngg-gallery-thumbnail-box \n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\" \n\t\t\t>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"ngg-gallery-thumbnail\">\n\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/heacham.neidles.com\/wp-content\/gallery\/mogul1\/agatha_DM.png\"\n\t\t\t\ttitle=\"\"\n\t\t\t\tdata-src=\"https:\/\/heacham.neidles.com\/wp-content\/gallery\/mogul1\/agatha_DM.png\"\n\t\t\t\tdata-thumbnail=\"https:\/\/heacham.neidles.com\/wp-content\/gallery\/mogul1\/thumbs\/thumbs_agatha_DM.png\"\n\t\t\t\tdata-image-id=\"138\"\n\t\t\t\tdata-title=\"agatha_DM\"\n\t\t\t\tdata-description=\"\"\n\t\t\t\tdata-image-slug=\"agatha_dm\"\n\t\t\t\tclass=\"ngg-simplelightbox\" rel=\"a09b48bb0c50298bfc67d2cd6b521a94\">\n\t\t\t\t<img\n\t\t\t\t\ttitle=\"agatha_DM\"\n\t\t\t\t\talt=\"agatha_DM\"\n\t\t\t\t\tsrc=\"https:\/\/heacham.neidles.com\/wp-content\/gallery\/mogul1\/thumbs\/thumbs_agatha_DM.png\"\n\t\t\t\t\twidth=\"240\"\n\t\t\t\t\theight=\"160\"\n\t\t\t\t\tstyle=\"max-width:100%;\"\n\t\t\t\t\/>\n\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div> \n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t<div id=\"ngg-image-1\" class=\"ngg-gallery-thumbnail-box \n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\" \n\t\t\t>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"ngg-gallery-thumbnail\">\n\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/heacham.neidles.com\/wp-content\/gallery\/mogul1\/verna_DM.png\"\n\t\t\t\ttitle=\"\"\n\t\t\t\tdata-src=\"https:\/\/heacham.neidles.com\/wp-content\/gallery\/mogul1\/verna_DM.png\"\n\t\t\t\tdata-thumbnail=\"https:\/\/heacham.neidles.com\/wp-content\/gallery\/mogul1\/thumbs\/thumbs_verna_DM.png\"\n\t\t\t\tdata-image-id=\"139\"\n\t\t\t\tdata-title=\"verna_DM\"\n\t\t\t\tdata-description=\"\"\n\t\t\t\tdata-image-slug=\"verna_dm\"\n\t\t\t\tclass=\"ngg-simplelightbox\" rel=\"a09b48bb0c50298bfc67d2cd6b521a94\">\n\t\t\t\t<img\n\t\t\t\t\ttitle=\"verna_DM\"\n\t\t\t\t\talt=\"verna_DM\"\n\t\t\t\t\tsrc=\"https:\/\/heacham.neidles.com\/wp-content\/gallery\/mogul1\/thumbs\/thumbs_verna_DM.png\"\n\t\t\t\t\twidth=\"240\"\n\t\t\t\t\theight=\"160\"\n\t\t\t\t\tstyle=\"max-width:100%;\"\n\t\t\t\t\/>\n\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div> \n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t<div id=\"ngg-image-2\" class=\"ngg-gallery-thumbnail-box \n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\" \n\t\t\t>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"ngg-gallery-thumbnail\">\n\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/heacham.neidles.com\/wp-content\/gallery\/mogul1\/polly_DM.png\"\n\t\t\t\ttitle=\"\"\n\t\t\t\tdata-src=\"https:\/\/heacham.neidles.com\/wp-content\/gallery\/mogul1\/polly_DM.png\"\n\t\t\t\tdata-thumbnail=\"https:\/\/heacham.neidles.com\/wp-content\/gallery\/mogul1\/thumbs\/thumbs_polly_DM.png\"\n\t\t\t\tdata-image-id=\"140\"\n\t\t\t\tdata-title=\"polly_DM\"\n\t\t\t\tdata-description=\"\"\n\t\t\t\tdata-image-slug=\"polly_dm\"\n\t\t\t\tclass=\"ngg-simplelightbox\" rel=\"a09b48bb0c50298bfc67d2cd6b521a94\">\n\t\t\t\t<img\n\t\t\t\t\ttitle=\"polly_DM\"\n\t\t\t\t\talt=\"polly_DM\"\n\t\t\t\t\tsrc=\"https:\/\/heacham.neidles.com\/wp-content\/gallery\/mogul1\/thumbs\/thumbs_polly_DM.png\"\n\t\t\t\t\twidth=\"240\"\n\t\t\t\t\theight=\"160\"\n\t\t\t\t\tstyle=\"max-width:100%;\"\n\t\t\t\t\/>\n\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div> \n\t\t\t\n\t\n\t<br style=\"clear: both\" \/>\n\n\t\n\t\t<!-- Pagination -->\n\t\t<div class='ngg-clear'><\/div>\t<\/div>\n\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">That was weird enough to pique my interest. I particularly liked the claim from an outfit <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/w\/index.php?search=mogul+press&amp;title=Special%3ASearch&amp;ns0=1\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">without a Wikipedia page<\/a> that they can get you a Wikipedia page.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">I asked PR\/media contacts &#8211; nobody had heard of Mogul Press. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">The Mogul Press website (I won&#8217;t link) didn&#8217;t inspire confidence:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"is-style-default wp-block-image size-large is-resized\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"465\" src=\"https:\/\/heacham.neidles.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/Screenshot-2023-11-21-at-20.56.37-1024x465.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12600\" style=\"width:608px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/heacham.neidles.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/Screenshot-2023-11-21-at-20.56.37-1024x465.png 1024w, https:\/\/heacham.neidles.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/Screenshot-2023-11-21-at-20.56.37-768x349.png 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">The case studies are all a bit odd &#8211; Mogul adds a reassuring caveat that they&#8217;re &#8220;derived from actual clients&#8221;:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"is-style-default wp-block-image size-large is-resized\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"468\" src=\"https:\/\/heacham.neidles.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/Screenshot-2023-11-21-at-21.49.18-1024x468.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12612\" style=\"width:609px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/heacham.neidles.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/Screenshot-2023-11-21-at-21.49.18-1024x468.png 1024w, https:\/\/heacham.neidles.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/Screenshot-2023-11-21-at-21.49.18-768x351.png 768w, https:\/\/heacham.neidles.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/Screenshot-2023-11-21-at-21.49.18.png 2010w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">So I asked the helpful Mogul people if this was a scam, and received three identical responses assuring me that it wasn&#8217;t:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<!-- default-view.php -->\n<div\n\tclass=\"ngg-galleryoverview default-view \n\t\t\"\n\tid=\"ngg-gallery-8a20fdc3590ccee1766571285b0774aa-1\">\n\n\t\t<!-- Thumbnails -->\n\t\t\t\t<div id=\"ngg-image-0\" class=\"ngg-gallery-thumbnail-box \n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\" \n\t\t\t>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"ngg-gallery-thumbnail\">\n\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/heacham.neidles.com\/wp-content\/gallery\/mogul3\/Screenshot-2023-11-21-at-20.36.22.png\"\n\t\t\t\ttitle=\"\"\n\t\t\t\tdata-src=\"https:\/\/heacham.neidles.com\/wp-content\/gallery\/mogul3\/Screenshot-2023-11-21-at-20.36.22.png\"\n\t\t\t\tdata-thumbnail=\"https:\/\/heacham.neidles.com\/wp-content\/gallery\/mogul3\/thumbs\/thumbs_Screenshot-2023-11-21-at-20.36.22.png\"\n\t\t\t\tdata-image-id=\"145\"\n\t\t\t\tdata-title=\"Screenshot-2023-11-21-at-20.36.22\"\n\t\t\t\tdata-description=\"\"\n\t\t\t\tdata-image-slug=\"screenshot-2023-11-21-at-20-36-22\"\n\t\t\t\tclass=\"ngg-simplelightbox\" rel=\"8a20fdc3590ccee1766571285b0774aa\">\n\t\t\t\t<img\n\t\t\t\t\ttitle=\"Screenshot-2023-11-21-at-20.36.22\"\n\t\t\t\t\talt=\"Screenshot-2023-11-21-at-20.36.22\"\n\t\t\t\t\tsrc=\"https:\/\/heacham.neidles.com\/wp-content\/gallery\/mogul3\/thumbs\/thumbs_Screenshot-2023-11-21-at-20.36.22.png\"\n\t\t\t\t\twidth=\"240\"\n\t\t\t\t\theight=\"160\"\n\t\t\t\t\tstyle=\"max-width:100%;\"\n\t\t\t\t\/>\n\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div> \n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t<div id=\"ngg-image-1\" class=\"ngg-gallery-thumbnail-box \n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\" \n\t\t\t>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"ngg-gallery-thumbnail\">\n\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/heacham.neidles.com\/wp-content\/gallery\/mogul3\/Screenshot-2023-11-21-at-20.36.05.png\"\n\t\t\t\ttitle=\"\"\n\t\t\t\tdata-src=\"https:\/\/heacham.neidles.com\/wp-content\/gallery\/mogul3\/Screenshot-2023-11-21-at-20.36.05.png\"\n\t\t\t\tdata-thumbnail=\"https:\/\/heacham.neidles.com\/wp-content\/gallery\/mogul3\/thumbs\/thumbs_Screenshot-2023-11-21-at-20.36.05.png\"\n\t\t\t\tdata-image-id=\"146\"\n\t\t\t\tdata-title=\"Screenshot-2023-11-21-at-20.36.05\"\n\t\t\t\tdata-description=\"\"\n\t\t\t\tdata-image-slug=\"screenshot-2023-11-21-at-20-36-05\"\n\t\t\t\tclass=\"ngg-simplelightbox\" rel=\"8a20fdc3590ccee1766571285b0774aa\">\n\t\t\t\t<img\n\t\t\t\t\ttitle=\"Screenshot-2023-11-21-at-20.36.05\"\n\t\t\t\t\talt=\"Screenshot-2023-11-21-at-20.36.05\"\n\t\t\t\t\tsrc=\"https:\/\/heacham.neidles.com\/wp-content\/gallery\/mogul3\/thumbs\/thumbs_Screenshot-2023-11-21-at-20.36.05.png\"\n\t\t\t\t\twidth=\"240\"\n\t\t\t\t\theight=\"160\"\n\t\t\t\t\tstyle=\"max-width:100%;\"\n\t\t\t\t\/>\n\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div> \n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t<div id=\"ngg-image-2\" class=\"ngg-gallery-thumbnail-box \n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\" \n\t\t\t>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"ngg-gallery-thumbnail\">\n\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/heacham.neidles.com\/wp-content\/gallery\/mogul3\/Screenshot-2023-11-21-at-20.36.15.png\"\n\t\t\t\ttitle=\"\"\n\t\t\t\tdata-src=\"https:\/\/heacham.neidles.com\/wp-content\/gallery\/mogul3\/Screenshot-2023-11-21-at-20.36.15.png\"\n\t\t\t\tdata-thumbnail=\"https:\/\/heacham.neidles.com\/wp-content\/gallery\/mogul3\/thumbs\/thumbs_Screenshot-2023-11-21-at-20.36.15.png\"\n\t\t\t\tdata-image-id=\"147\"\n\t\t\t\tdata-title=\"Screenshot-2023-11-21-at-20.36.15\"\n\t\t\t\tdata-description=\"\"\n\t\t\t\tdata-image-slug=\"screenshot-2023-11-21-at-20-36-15\"\n\t\t\t\tclass=\"ngg-simplelightbox\" rel=\"8a20fdc3590ccee1766571285b0774aa\">\n\t\t\t\t<img\n\t\t\t\t\ttitle=\"Screenshot-2023-11-21-at-20.36.15\"\n\t\t\t\t\talt=\"Screenshot-2023-11-21-at-20.36.15\"\n\t\t\t\t\tsrc=\"https:\/\/heacham.neidles.com\/wp-content\/gallery\/mogul3\/thumbs\/thumbs_Screenshot-2023-11-21-at-20.36.15.png\"\n\t\t\t\t\twidth=\"240\"\n\t\t\t\t\theight=\"160\"\n\t\t\t\t\tstyle=\"max-width:100%;\"\n\t\t\t\t\/>\n\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div> \n\t\t\t\n\t\n\t<br style=\"clear: both\" \/>\n\n\t\n\t\t<!-- Pagination -->\n\t\t<div class='ngg-clear'><\/div>\t<\/div>\n\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">Being the suspicious type, I then ran some reverse-image searches on the profile photos. They&#8217;ve been stolen from stock image libraries and from real peoples&#8217; Twitter and LinkedIn profiles:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<!-- default-view.php -->\n<div\n\tclass=\"ngg-galleryoverview default-view \n\t\t\"\n\tid=\"ngg-gallery-41532047d4e8cd3ccb25a92304b5cbb3-1\">\n\n\t\t<!-- Thumbnails -->\n\t\t\t\t<div id=\"ngg-image-0\" class=\"ngg-gallery-thumbnail-box \n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\" \n\t\t\t>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"ngg-gallery-thumbnail\">\n\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/heacham.neidles.com\/wp-content\/gallery\/mogul2\/ana.png\"\n\t\t\t\ttitle=\"\"\n\t\t\t\tdata-src=\"https:\/\/heacham.neidles.com\/wp-content\/gallery\/mogul2\/ana.png\"\n\t\t\t\tdata-thumbnail=\"https:\/\/heacham.neidles.com\/wp-content\/gallery\/mogul2\/thumbs\/thumbs_ana.png\"\n\t\t\t\tdata-image-id=\"141\"\n\t\t\t\tdata-title=\"ana\"\n\t\t\t\tdata-description=\"\"\n\t\t\t\tdata-image-slug=\"ana\"\n\t\t\t\tclass=\"ngg-simplelightbox\" rel=\"41532047d4e8cd3ccb25a92304b5cbb3\">\n\t\t\t\t<img\n\t\t\t\t\ttitle=\"ana\"\n\t\t\t\t\talt=\"ana\"\n\t\t\t\t\tsrc=\"https:\/\/heacham.neidles.com\/wp-content\/gallery\/mogul2\/thumbs\/thumbs_ana.png\"\n\t\t\t\t\twidth=\"240\"\n\t\t\t\t\theight=\"160\"\n\t\t\t\t\tstyle=\"max-width:100%;\"\n\t\t\t\t\/>\n\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div> \n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t<div id=\"ngg-image-1\" class=\"ngg-gallery-thumbnail-box \n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\" \n\t\t\t>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"ngg-gallery-thumbnail\">\n\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/heacham.neidles.com\/wp-content\/gallery\/mogul2\/agatha.png\"\n\t\t\t\ttitle=\"\"\n\t\t\t\tdata-src=\"https:\/\/heacham.neidles.com\/wp-content\/gallery\/mogul2\/agatha.png\"\n\t\t\t\tdata-thumbnail=\"https:\/\/heacham.neidles.com\/wp-content\/gallery\/mogul2\/thumbs\/thumbs_agatha.png\"\n\t\t\t\tdata-image-id=\"142\"\n\t\t\t\tdata-title=\"agatha\"\n\t\t\t\tdata-description=\"\"\n\t\t\t\tdata-image-slug=\"agatha\"\n\t\t\t\tclass=\"ngg-simplelightbox\" rel=\"41532047d4e8cd3ccb25a92304b5cbb3\">\n\t\t\t\t<img\n\t\t\t\t\ttitle=\"agatha\"\n\t\t\t\t\talt=\"agatha\"\n\t\t\t\t\tsrc=\"https:\/\/heacham.neidles.com\/wp-content\/gallery\/mogul2\/thumbs\/thumbs_agatha.png\"\n\t\t\t\t\twidth=\"240\"\n\t\t\t\t\theight=\"160\"\n\t\t\t\t\tstyle=\"max-width:100%;\"\n\t\t\t\t\/>\n\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div> \n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t<div id=\"ngg-image-2\" class=\"ngg-gallery-thumbnail-box \n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\" \n\t\t\t>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"ngg-gallery-thumbnail\">\n\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/heacham.neidles.com\/wp-content\/gallery\/mogul2\/polly.png\"\n\t\t\t\ttitle=\"\"\n\t\t\t\tdata-src=\"https:\/\/heacham.neidles.com\/wp-content\/gallery\/mogul2\/polly.png\"\n\t\t\t\tdata-thumbnail=\"https:\/\/heacham.neidles.com\/wp-content\/gallery\/mogul2\/thumbs\/thumbs_polly.png\"\n\t\t\t\tdata-image-id=\"143\"\n\t\t\t\tdata-title=\"polly\"\n\t\t\t\tdata-description=\"\"\n\t\t\t\tdata-image-slug=\"polly\"\n\t\t\t\tclass=\"ngg-simplelightbox\" rel=\"41532047d4e8cd3ccb25a92304b5cbb3\">\n\t\t\t\t<img\n\t\t\t\t\ttitle=\"polly\"\n\t\t\t\t\talt=\"polly\"\n\t\t\t\t\tsrc=\"https:\/\/heacham.neidles.com\/wp-content\/gallery\/mogul2\/thumbs\/thumbs_polly.png\"\n\t\t\t\t\twidth=\"240\"\n\t\t\t\t\theight=\"160\"\n\t\t\t\t\tstyle=\"max-width:100%;\"\n\t\t\t\t\/>\n\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div> \n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t<div id=\"ngg-image-3\" class=\"ngg-gallery-thumbnail-box \n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\" \n\t\t\t>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"ngg-gallery-thumbnail\">\n\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/heacham.neidles.com\/wp-content\/gallery\/mogul2\/verna.png\"\n\t\t\t\ttitle=\"\"\n\t\t\t\tdata-src=\"https:\/\/heacham.neidles.com\/wp-content\/gallery\/mogul2\/verna.png\"\n\t\t\t\tdata-thumbnail=\"https:\/\/heacham.neidles.com\/wp-content\/gallery\/mogul2\/thumbs\/thumbs_verna.png\"\n\t\t\t\tdata-image-id=\"144\"\n\t\t\t\tdata-title=\"verna\"\n\t\t\t\tdata-description=\"\"\n\t\t\t\tdata-image-slug=\"verna\"\n\t\t\t\tclass=\"ngg-simplelightbox\" rel=\"41532047d4e8cd3ccb25a92304b5cbb3\">\n\t\t\t\t<img\n\t\t\t\t\ttitle=\"verna\"\n\t\t\t\t\talt=\"verna\"\n\t\t\t\t\tsrc=\"https:\/\/heacham.neidles.com\/wp-content\/gallery\/mogul2\/thumbs\/thumbs_verna.png\"\n\t\t\t\t\twidth=\"240\"\n\t\t\t\t\theight=\"160\"\n\t\t\t\t\tstyle=\"max-width:100%;\"\n\t\t\t\t\/>\n\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div> \n\t\t\t\n\t\n\t<br style=\"clear: both\" \/>\n\n\t\n\t\t<!-- Pagination -->\n\t\t<div class='ngg-clear'><\/div>\t<\/div>\n\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">I asked Agatha, Ana, Verna and Polly about this, and didn&#8217;t receive a reply.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">I&#8217;m guessing their names are fake too &#8211; they don&#8217;t show up as Mogul employees on LinkedIn. There are some Mogul employees on LinkedIn but, inevitably, the first two I checked also have fake profile photos: <\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-gallery has-nested-images columns-default is-cropped wp-block-gallery-1 is-layout-flex wp-block-gallery-is-layout-flex\">\n<figure class=\"is-style-default wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"576\" data-id=\"12604\" src=\"https:\/\/heacham.neidles.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/Screenshot-2023-11-21-at-21.25.45-1-1024x576.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12604\" srcset=\"https:\/\/heacham.neidles.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/Screenshot-2023-11-21-at-21.25.45-1-1024x576.png 1024w, https:\/\/heacham.neidles.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/Screenshot-2023-11-21-at-21.25.45-1-768x432.png 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"is-style-default wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"765\" data-id=\"12605\" src=\"https:\/\/heacham.neidles.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/Screenshot-2023-11-21-at-21.25.30-1-1024x765.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12605\" srcset=\"https:\/\/heacham.neidles.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/Screenshot-2023-11-21-at-21.25.30-1-1024x765.png 1024w, https:\/\/heacham.neidles.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/Screenshot-2023-11-21-at-21.25.30-1-768x573.png 768w, https:\/\/heacham.neidles.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/Screenshot-2023-11-21-at-21.25.30-1.png 1682w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-gallery has-nested-images columns-default is-cropped wp-block-gallery-2 is-layout-flex wp-block-gallery-is-layout-flex\">\n<figure class=\"is-style-default wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"860\" data-id=\"12608\" src=\"https:\/\/heacham.neidles.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/Screenshot-2023-11-21-at-21.45.56-1024x860.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12608\" srcset=\"https:\/\/heacham.neidles.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/Screenshot-2023-11-21-at-21.45.56-1024x860.png 1024w, https:\/\/heacham.neidles.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/Screenshot-2023-11-21-at-21.45.56-768x645.png 768w, https:\/\/heacham.neidles.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/Screenshot-2023-11-21-at-21.45.56.png 1062w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"is-style-default wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"868\" height=\"884\" data-id=\"12609\" src=\"https:\/\/heacham.neidles.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/Screenshot-2023-11-21-at-21.45.46.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12609\" srcset=\"https:\/\/heacham.neidles.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/Screenshot-2023-11-21-at-21.45.46.png 868w, https:\/\/heacham.neidles.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/Screenshot-2023-11-21-at-21.45.46-768x782.png 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 868px) 100vw, 868px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">At which point I called it a day.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">If I&#8217;d done some research first, I would have found that lots of other people on <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/ariehkovler\/status\/1723429096124830147?s=20\">Twitter<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/posts\/hellstromriina_agilehr-activity-7068669740864409600-6jis?utm_source=share&amp;utm_medium=member_desktop\">LinkedIn<\/a> and Instagram have received similar <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/thisistechtoday\/status\/1670828657491820555?s=20\">messages<\/a>. Some subsequently received <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/el_tragon_de_LA\/status\/1710356484591354247?s=20\">threats<\/a> of <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/thisistechtoday\/status\/1710385924033442185?s=20\">dire consequences<\/a> for <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/LAWeeklyMusic\/status\/1710412782720651336?s=20\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">being mean about Mogul<\/a> (the force of such threats being slightly blunted by coming from gmail accounts). <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">I gave Mogul the opportunity to respond. They sent me a strange answer which fails to explain why all their employees have fake profiles, and offers the odd defence that the fake pictures &#8220;can be found on Google&#8221;. They assured me the photos would be taken down &#8211; they haven&#8217;t been.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"is-style-default wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"378\" src=\"https:\/\/heacham.neidles.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/image-25-1024x378.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12627\" srcset=\"https:\/\/heacham.neidles.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/image-25-1024x378.png 1024w, https:\/\/heacham.neidles.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/image-25-768x283.png 768w, https:\/\/heacham.neidles.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/image-25.png 1474w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">Needless to say, normal people working for normal businesses don&#8217;t use stolen profile photos, or send threats from gmail accounts. My assumption was that Mogul Press was some kind of scam, and I thought it would be helpful to put a page up to assist anyone else who runs across them.<\/p>\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"january-2024-update\">January 2024 update<\/h2>\n\n\n<p class=\"\">On 26 December 2023 I received an email from the CEO of Mogul Press, Nabeel Ahmad, asking me to take down this article, and then eventually threatening me with UK libel proceedings if I don&#8217;t.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">He said he would tell his team to stop using pictures of real people, and only fake AI generated images (which is apparently &#8220;common practice&#8221;. He said &#8220;You have my word that I will be strictly enforcing this going forward.&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">So I was amused to see that, on that day, the first LinkedIn profile I found of a Mogul Press employee:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"is-style-default wp-block-image size-full is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"587\" src=\"https:\/\/heacham.neidles.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/image-11.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-13807\" style=\"width:556px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/heacham.neidles.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/image-11.png 1024w, https:\/\/heacham.neidles.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/image-11-768x440.png 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">stole a photo from this very real UK tax adviser:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"is-style-default wp-block-image size-full is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"382\" src=\"https:\/\/heacham.neidles.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/image-12.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-13808\" style=\"width:558px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/heacham.neidles.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/image-12.png 1024w, https:\/\/heacham.neidles.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/image-12-768x287.png 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">The rest of the correspondence isn&#8217;t very interesting, but I&#8217;ve <a href=\"https:\/\/heacham.neidles.com\/assets\/mogul_removal_Redacted.pdf\">uploaded a copy here<\/a>. In short, Ahmad: <\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"\">\n<li class=\"\">Admits that his employees use fake names and fake photos on social media, with some photos AI generated, some stolen from real people. He can&#8217;t explain why this continued after I called them on this in November. He says they won&#8217;t steal photos again, but it&#8217;s clear they will continue to use fake names and AI generated photos. He thinks that is fine and &#8220;common practice&#8221;.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li class=\"\">Admits to spamming users on Twitter, LinkedIn and Instagram. He says this practice &#8220;can be breaking laws of specific regions&#8221; which is correct, if &#8220;can&#8221; means &#8220;is definitely&#8221; and &#8220;specific regions&#8221; means the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ftc.gov\/business-guidance\/resources\/can-spam-act-compliance-guide-business\">US<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/eur-lex.europa.eu\/legal-content\/EN\/ALL\/?uri=CELEX%3A32002L0058\">EU<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/ico.org.uk\/for-organisations\/direct-marketing-and-privacy-and-electronic-communications\/business-to-business-marketing\/\">UK<\/a>.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li class=\"\">Admits to renting fake LinkedIn profiles with fake names for &#8220;mass outreach&#8221;, including from a business called Akountify (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/posts\/thomashelfrich_never-do-this-on-linkedin-today-id-activity-7135354404517396480-697i\/#\">which has also been criticised for their business practice<\/a>). He says this is &#8220;common practice&#8221;. Akountify, in the comments below, claim that they told Mogul Press to stop using fake profile photos, and sacked them as a client when they kept doing it.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li class=\"\">Admits that all of this breaks the terms of service of LinkedIn etc, but says that&#8217;s between him and LinkedIn. The use of fake sender names in marketing messages is specifically outlawed in the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ftc.gov\/business-guidance\/resources\/can-spam-act-compliance-guide-business\">US<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/eur-lex.europa.eu\/legal-content\/EN\/ALL\/?uri=CELEX%3A32002L0058\">EU<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/ico.org.uk\/for-organisations\/direct-marketing-and-privacy-and-electronic-communications\/business-to-business-marketing\/\">UK<\/a>.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li class=\"\">Didn&#8217;t respond when I asked if his business was really a PR business, or a mostly automated business which spams people to get clients, and then charges them to <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/el_tragon_de_LA\/status\/1595175807017623555\">place paid advertorials<\/a> in <a href=\"https:\/\/hauteliving.com\/2021\/02\/nabeel-ahmad-built-mogul-press-one-fastest-growing-pr-firms-world\/694377\/\">poor quality media<\/a>. <\/li>\n\n\n\n<li class=\"\">Didn&#8217;t respond when I suggested this was a very different proposition from the story told on their website and in their marketing messages.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">Ahmad is adamant that his business is genuine and not a scam, and claims that this article is costing him $450k in lost revenue per month. He says I have &#8220;no real proof&#8221; Mogul is a scam, and that &#8220;just because you think we are one does not give you the right to publicly declare us as a scam, and damage our business this way.&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">I&#8217;m afraid Ahmad is wrong. It&#8217;s my opinion that <a href=\"https:\/\/www.tiktok.com\/@jaredx2\/video\/7290240918811331886\">spamming<\/a><sup class=\"modern-footnotes-footnote \" data-mfn=\"2\" data-mfn-post-scope=\"0000000000002f4e0000000000000000_12563\"><a href=\"javascript:void(0)\"  role=\"button\" aria-pressed=\"false\" aria-describedby=\"mfn-content-0000000000002f4e0000000000000000_12563-2\">2<\/a><\/sup><span id=\"mfn-content-0000000000002f4e0000000000000000_12563-2\" role=\"tooltip\" class=\"modern-footnotes-footnote__note\" tabindex=\"0\" data-mfn=\"2\">This is the first TikTok link on the Tax Policy Associates website<\/span> people with deceptive marketing, allowing your staff to steal photos from real people, and pretending to be one kind of business when you&#8217;re actually something different, is somewhere between &#8220;deeply shady&#8221; and &#8220;scam&#8221;. That is legally protected speech <a href=\"https:\/\/www.legislation.gov.uk\/ukpga\/2013\/26\/section\/3\/enacted\">in the UK<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.uscourts.gov\/about-federal-courts\/educational-resources\/supreme-court-landmarks\/new-york-times-v-sullivan-podcast\">the US<\/a>. And it&#8217;s an opinion that seems <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/JustinBrady\/status\/1738201424666788279?s=20\">fairly<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/thisistechtoday\/status\/1670828657491820555\">widely<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/RobertFreundLaw\/status\/1710362410253717912?s=20\">held<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">Suing me for libel would be entertaining for everyone involved, but I&#8217;ve suggested to Ahmad that he may wish to obtain legal advice on some other points first:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"\">\n<li class=\"\">I&#8217;m not a US-qualified lawyer, but I spoke to a couple this morning who suggested that marketing cross-border using fake identities may amount to &#8220;obtaining money or property by means of false or fraudulent pretenses, representations, or promises&#8221;, and therefore constitute the Federal crime of &#8220;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.law.cornell.edu\/uscode\/text\/18\/1341\">mail fraud<\/a>&#8220;.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li class=\"\">I&#8217;m also not an EU\/UK privacy law specialist, so I asked one what the EU\/UK GDPR consequences would be for a business stealing profile photos of multiple individuals and using those photos in fake profiles for approaching potential customers. The answer was &#8220;hilariously bad&#8221;.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">I&#8217;ve told Ahmad I&#8217;ll be happy to change my mind if he stops spamming people, stops using fake profiles, and starts accurately describing his business in his marketing. I&#8217;m optimistic I&#8217;ll hear back from him on this soon.<\/p>\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"another-january-2024-update\">Another January 2024 update<\/h2>\n\n\n<p class=\"\">Mogul have revamped their website, and it now gives the game away that this isn&#8217;t PR at all &#8211; it&#8217;s paid placements in low media outlets:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure data-wp-context=\"{ &quot;core&quot;:\n\t\t\t\t{ &quot;image&quot;:\n\t\t\t\t\t{   &quot;imageLoaded&quot;: false,\n\t\t\t\t\t\t&quot;initialized&quot;: false,\n\t\t\t\t\t\t&quot;lightboxEnabled&quot;: false,\n\t\t\t\t\t\t&quot;hideAnimationEnabled&quot;: false,\n\t\t\t\t\t\t&quot;preloadInitialized&quot;: false,\n\t\t\t\t\t\t&quot;lightboxAnimation&quot;: &quot;zoom&quot;,\n\t\t\t\t\t\t&quot;imageUploadedSrc&quot;: &quot;https:\/\/heacham.neidles.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/Screenshot-2024-01-22-at-11.46.45.png&quot;,\n\t\t\t\t\t\t&quot;imageCurrentSrc&quot;: &quot;&quot;,\n\t\t\t\t\t\t&quot;targetWidth&quot;: &quot;2520&quot;,\n\t\t\t\t\t\t&quot;targetHeight&quot;: &quot;900&quot;,\n\t\t\t\t\t\t&quot;scaleAttr&quot;: &quot;&quot;,\n\t\t\t\t\t\t&quot;dialogLabel&quot;: &quot;Enlarged image&quot;\n\t\t\t\t\t}\n\t\t\t\t}\n\t\t\t}\" data-wp-interactive class=\"is-style-default wp-block-image size-large is-resized wp-lightbox-container\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"366\" data-wp-effect--setStylesOnResize=\"effects.core.image.setStylesOnResize\" data-wp-effect=\"effects.core.image.setButtonStyles\" data-wp-init=\"effects.core.image.initOriginImage\" data-wp-on--click=\"actions.core.image.showLightbox\" data-wp-on--load=\"actions.core.image.handleLoad\" src=\"https:\/\/heacham.neidles.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/Screenshot-2024-01-22-at-11.46.45-1024x366.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-14177\" style=\"width:653px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/heacham.neidles.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/Screenshot-2024-01-22-at-11.46.45-1024x366.png 1024w, https:\/\/heacham.neidles.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/Screenshot-2024-01-22-at-11.46.45-768x274.png 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><button\n\t\t\tclass=\"lightbox-trigger\"\n\t\t\ttype=\"button\"\n\t\t\taria-haspopup=\"dialog\"\n\t\t\taria-label=\"Enlarge image\"\n\t\t\tdata-wp-on--click=\"actions.core.image.showLightbox\"\n\t\t\tdata-wp-style--right=\"context.core.image.imageButtonRight\"\n\t\t\tdata-wp-style--top=\"context.core.image.imageButtonTop\"\n\t\t>\n\t\t\t<svg xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"12\" height=\"12\" fill=\"none\" viewBox=\"0 0 12 12\">\n\t\t\t\t<path fill=\"#fff\" d=\"M2 0a2 2 0 0 0-2 2v2h1.5V2a.5.5 0 0 1 .5-.5h2V0H2Zm2 10.5H2a.5.5 0 0 1-.5-.5V8H0v2a2 2 0 0 0 2 2h2v-1.5ZM8 12v-1.5h2a.5.5 0 0 0 .5-.5V8H12v2a2 2 0 0 1-2 2H8Zm2-12a2 2 0 0 1 2 2v2h-1.5V2a.5.5 0 0 0-.5-.5H8V0h2Z\" \/>\n\t\t\t<\/svg>\n\t\t<\/button>        <div data-wp-body=\"\" class=\"wp-lightbox-overlay zoom\"\n            data-wp-bind--role=\"selectors.core.image.roleAttribute\"\n            data-wp-bind--aria-label=\"selectors.core.image.dialogLabel\"\n            data-wp-class--initialized=\"context.core.image.initialized\"\n            data-wp-class--active=\"context.core.image.lightboxEnabled\"\n            data-wp-class--hideAnimationEnabled=\"context.core.image.hideAnimationEnabled\"\n            data-wp-bind--aria-modal=\"selectors.core.image.ariaModal\"\n            data-wp-effect=\"effects.core.image.initLightbox\"\n            data-wp-on--keydown=\"actions.core.image.handleKeydown\"\n            data-wp-on--touchstart=\"actions.core.image.handleTouchStart\"\n            data-wp-on--touchmove=\"actions.core.image.handleTouchMove\"\n            data-wp-on--touchend=\"actions.core.image.handleTouchEnd\"\n            data-wp-on--click=\"actions.core.image.hideLightbox\"\n            tabindex=\"-1\"\n            >\n                <button type=\"button\" aria-label=\"Close\" style=\"fill: var(--wp--preset--color--contrast)\" class=\"close-button\" data-wp-on--click=\"actions.core.image.hideLightbox\">\n                    <svg xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" width=\"20\" height=\"20\" aria-hidden=\"true\" focusable=\"false\"><path d=\"M13 11.8l6.1-6.3-1-1-6.1 6.2-6.1-6.2-1 1 6.1 6.3-6.5 6.7 1 1 6.5-6.6 6.5 6.6 1-1z\"><\/path><\/svg>\n                <\/button>\n                <div class=\"lightbox-image-container\">\n<figure class=\"is-style-default wp-block-image size-large is-resized responsive-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" data-wp-bind--src=\"context.core.image.imageCurrentSrc\" data-wp-style--object-fit=\"selectors.core.image.lightboxObjectFit\" src=\"\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-14177\" style=\"width:653px;height:auto\"\/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n                <div class=\"lightbox-image-container\">\n<figure class=\"is-style-default wp-block-image size-large is-resized enlarged-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" data-wp-bind--src=\"selectors.core.image.enlargedImgSrc\" data-wp-style--object-fit=\"selectors.core.image.lightboxObjectFit\" src=\"\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-14177\" style=\"width:653px;height:auto\"\/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n                <div class=\"scrim\" style=\"background-color: var(--wp--preset--color--base)\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/div>\n        <\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">That is not at all what their direct marketing says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">Mogul&#8217;s response to this article wasn&#8217;t to contest any of its factual content, but to file a DCMA takedown request on the basis that the article breaches their copyright. Given that &#8220;fair use&#8221; for the purposes of criticism is protected by US copyright law, this was clearly in bad faith. We&#8217;ve filed a &#8220;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.copyright.gov\/512\/#:~:text=Following%20receipt%20of%20a%20compliant%20counter%2Dnotice%2C%20the%20online%20service%20provider%20must%20restore%20access%20to%20the%20material%20after%20no%20less%20than%20ten%20and%20no%20more%20than%20fourteen%20business%20days%2C%20unless%20the%20original%20notice%20sender%20informs%20the%20service%20provider%20that%20it%20has%20filed%20a%20court%20action%20against%20the%20user.\">counter-notice<\/a>&#8220;; in principle I could <a href=\"https:\/\/www.law.cornell.edu\/uscode\/text\/17\/512#:~:text=shall%20be%20liable%20for%20any%20damages%2C%20including%20costs%20and%20attorneys%E2%80%99%20fees\">claim damages against them<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"is-style-default wp-block-image size-large is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"869\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/heacham.neidles.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/Screenshot-2024-01-22-at-11.21.01-869x1024.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-14178\" style=\"width:451px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/heacham.neidles.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/Screenshot-2024-01-22-at-11.21.01-869x1024.png 869w, https:\/\/heacham.neidles.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/Screenshot-2024-01-22-at-11.21.01-768x905.png 768w, https:\/\/heacham.neidles.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/Screenshot-2024-01-22-at-11.21.01.png 1190w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 869px) 100vw, 869px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:100px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\"><ul class=\"modern-footnotes-list \"><li><span>1<\/span><div>The original title of this post said Mogul Press &#8220;appears to be a scam&#8221;. I have now replaced that tentative conclusion.<\/div><\/li><li><span>2<\/span><div>This is the first TikTok link on the Tax Policy Associates website<\/div><\/li><\/ul><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>No tax angle here, just a warning about a businesses that spams Twitter, LinkedIn and Instagram users, and engages in deceptive advertising practices that may be illegal in the UK, EU and US. UPDATED as of 7 January 2024. In November 2023, I received a Twitter direct message: I sent a polite response that we&#8217;re [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":12599,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[141],"tags":[210],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/heacham.neidles.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/Screenshot-2023-11-21-at-20.53.56.png","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/heacham.neidles.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12563"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/heacham.neidles.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/heacham.neidles.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/heacham.neidles.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/heacham.neidles.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=12563"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/heacham.neidles.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12563\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":14180,"href":"https:\/\/heacham.neidles.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12563\/revisions\/14180"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/heacham.neidles.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/12599"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/heacham.neidles.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=12563"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/heacham.neidles.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=12563"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/heacham.neidles.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=12563"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}