Durban - Shortly after the CEO of Hello Darlings, Tasneem Moosa, disappeared allegedly without refunding clients for holidays they had paid for, members of the public have voiced concern over the role social media influencers played in the scandal.
Information from numerous anonymous entities indicate that some influencers continued to market Hello Darlings even after the company was called out for bad business practices in January.
Reports indicate that Moosa used prominent influencers from around the country to market her business. In return, they were given discounted holidays, free holidays and sometimes money.
An internet user named Saleha Rahim shared her view about the company as early as January.
Among the red flags she raised, was that payment was to be made directly into Moosa’s account instead of a business one.
Rahim said she received a 100% refund.
Aisha Baker, a prominent social media influencer going under the name Bakedonline, released a statement reiterating her stance on Hello Darlings. Baker also issued a statement in January sharing her views on the company.
“I did not receive any cash kickbacks, commissions or profit shares. She (Tasneem Moosa) agreed to gift us travel if we continue to post upcoming adverts, I agreed, since I, along with other guests on the trip, had a fantastic time as we communicated online,” Baker said
Fashionbreed’s Aqeelah Harron Ally said that she conducted research before marketing the company which had indicated it was legit. Ally said she received partially free holidays with no financial compensation in exchange for marketing the business.
On January 25, she issued a statement alerting her followers that she was no longer working with Hello Darlings.
“As soon as I heard about Hello Darlings customers becoming increasingly frustrated with their service and having a really bad experience, I removed myself from any further dealings with them, and I ceased any promotion of their services to my audience,” Ally said.
During an interview with IOL, Basheera Dawjee, who goes as Modesty by Bash, said she became aware that Moosa was being untruthful about refunds.
“Nobody predicted this and also maybe we didn’t ask as many questions as we should have. People are saying that she was not a registered travel agent. Perhaps because her trips never started out as that, it started off as women empowerment workshops.
“I don’t know about the tourism industry in that sense and what she was supposed to have to do (on) these trips. But she did tell us that when she opened her Dubai office, Femme Voyage was Hello Darlings was registered as ,” Dawjee said.
Dawjee said she had asked Moosa questions about refunding clients but the CEO assured her that all was well.
But new information circulating on social media, which claims to be written by Tasneem Moosa herself, states that Dawjee and another influencer named ‘Siddiqa’, who had condemned her actions, had benefited from them.
The statement also indicates that some influencers may have invested in Hello Darlings and received dividends.
“Now many of the influencers have decided to make mockery posts and ads but while the going was good they benefited. Furthermore, the influencers after being made aware of the financial circumstances of the company strong armed me into refunding their extended families. Those same influencers who are currently on social media who are condemning me are also sending pictures of my minor children out to the world,” the statement read.
It also suggests that Hello Darlings was not a scam but just a badly run business which could not afford to keep up with the financial implications brought on by the pandemic.
The statement also claims Moosa did not make away with hundreds of millions in client monies as IOL previously reported.
IOL