In short: You cannot prove from a video alone that a creator is real, so use several checks together: a proof shot in the brief, a review against your real product, a payee whose identity a payment provider checks and a written confirmation of who filmed the video. The stakes are real. The FTC’s final rule on fake reviews and testimonials covers reviews that “misrepresent that they are by someone who does not exist, such as AI-generated fake reviews”, and reviews by people who did not have actual experience of the product. The FTC’s questions and answers add that a business is liable if it wrote fake reviews, or bought reviews that it knew or should have known were false. Put your name only on what you have looked at, and pay only after you have.
What can go wrong
- Borrowed footage. A video that someone else filmed, uploaded as the creator’s own.
- A review without the experience. A creator who never used the product, speaking as if they had.
- A synthetic person. An AI-generated presenter shown as a real customer.
- A face or voice used without consent. Someone else’s likeness in the frame; see model releases for UGC.
- A portfolio that is not theirs. Samples used to win work the creator did not do.
What the rules say
The FTC’s press release on its final rule lists what it prohibits: fake or false reviews and testimonials, including AI-generated ones and reviews by people with no actual experience; buying positive or negative reviews; insider reviews without disclosure; and buying or selling fake indicators of social media influence. A UGC video in which a creator says they used your product can work as a testimonial, so it matters whether that is true. The FTC’s questions and answers also say the rule has no blanket ban on AI-generated avatars in marketing; the problem is a testimonial that is fake or false, for example one that presents a person who does not exist as a customer. They give a red flag too: if someone gives a testimonial and then asks for the product, question whether they actually used it. Rules differ by country.
Five checks that work together
| Check | What it tells you | Its limit |
|---|---|---|
| A proof shot in the brief, such as the product in hand with the packaging visible | The creator had your product | It shows access to the product, not who the person is |
| A review against the real product: shade, size, packaging, wording | The footage matches what you sell | It does not show who filmed it |
| Portfolio and ratings | A track record | Portfolios can be borrowed |
| A payee checked by a payment provider | Someone accountable receives the money | It checks the payee, not the video |
| A written confirmation of who filmed it | The creator has made a statement you can point to | A statement is the creator’s word, not proof |
No one can reliably spot every synthetic or borrowed video by eye, so do not rely on a hunch alone. A practical extra check is to search for a distinctive frame to see whether the footage appears elsewhere.
What the payment provider does and does not do
Stripe’s documentation says that platforms using Connect collect information about the individual or company receiving funds, and that Stripe then attempts verification. In some cases it asks for more, such as a scan of a valid government-issued ID or a proof of address. Stripe also says that platforms must still monitor for and prevent fraud even after it verifies an account. In plain terms: the payee is checked, the video is not.
AI is not the issue, passing it off is
A brand may want an AI-generated presenter, and the FTC does not ban the format outright. The line is presenting a synthetic person as a real customer. If you want real creators, say so in the brief and check the video against it; the wider picture is in AI-generated UGC vs real creators.
If you suspect a fake
- Do not approve it. Reject it with a short note saying what does not match.
- Keep the video and your note.
- Report it through the platform’s report form if it breaks the rules.
How to write that note is in UGC feedback notes, and the review routine is in how to review UGC videos.
On Usicri
You see every video before you pay: your card is charged only when you approve, and a rejected video costs nothing. On every upload the creator confirms, by ticking a declaration, that they filmed the video and that it shows real people, and Usicri records the time. The Terms do not allow AI-generated or synthetic persons to be presented as real (section 3 of the Terms of Service), and anyone can report a video through the report form (section 9). Payouts go to a Stripe account the creator connects, and Stripe collects and verifies information about the people it pays. Ratings only come from the other party to an approved video, one per video, and the average is shown next to a creator’s submissions. A “Verified” tag appears next to creators who have been paid out for three or more approved videos; it marks a track record on Usicri, not an identity check. Usicri does not check videos for authenticity or advertising-law compliance before they are approved, so your review is the main check; use a proof shot in your brief. Creators on Usicri choose your campaign, and you pay only for the videos you approve, with no platform fee on videos approved through December 31 and a platform fee of 15% after that. See how it works for brands or create a free brand account.
For the other campaign risks and their safeguards, see the risks of a UGC campaign and the safeguard for each.