After a Nigerian Sport Journalist announced a deal with the Italian club, a creator called it a scam. FactCheckAfrica Investigated.
BY: Samuel Ogunsona
On Saturday, October 3, 2026, Nigerian sports content creator popularly known as Stone Avenue, with 32,000 followers on TikTok, posted a video for fellow content creators. In the video, he revealed that a Serie A club, Como 1907, had reached out to him earlier this year for a collaboration, this video generated over 180,000 views on Tiktok as at the time of this report.
Few hours after that video was posted, a Ghanaian female content creator, Bernice Ansah, popularly known as Berneese, with 2.1m Tiktok followers made a counter video with a similar email title, with the intention to create awareness. According to her, “This is a scam.” meaning, the similar email she got is a scam.
She explained that she received a similar email few months ago and after reaching out to them, she was sent a link that directed her to fill her social media username and password, which she believes no genuine agency would ask for and is risky to fill.
According to her story, she received two emails. The first was on May 22, 2026. That email ended with “The Football Edit.” On June 16, 2026, she received another email that ended with “Como Cup 2026,” with same sender among others. According to her, she made searches about the agency and could not find much about them online and that was a red flag for her.
Following Berneese’s video, Stone Avenue immediately got a lot of backlash in his comments box.
Some of the comments read:
“@AJ🇬🇭🇦🇪✅:I’m from Bernice page coming now 😂😂😂 and she’s saying it’s scam, so them scam stone 😂😂😂😂😂”
“@Ah_kiim:Even me that is not football content creator received the mail. Instantly I knew it was scam. I deleted immediately.”
However, after the backlash, Stone Avenue came out with what he presented as proof of collaboration with Como 1907, payment receipt, and how they paid him dollars after an agreement was reached.
This prompted FactCheckAfrica to investigate whether Como 1907’s influencer campaign targeting African creators is legitimate or a phishing scam.
Following Stone Avenue’s videos and Berneese’s warning, several other creators, particularly in the sports and football content space across Africa have since come out to say they received similar email too.
The confusion has continued to grow, with creators unsure whether to ignore a lifetime opportunity or risk losing their accounts to phishing links.
To protect African sports creators from falling victim, clear the air, and set the record straight, FactCheck Africa decided to verify the authenticity of Como 1907’s influencer campaign.
HOW FACTCHECK AFRICA VERIFIED
Step 1:
FactCheckAfrica visited Como 1907’s official website, to obtain official contact channels. Through the website, we were able to get the email address of Como’s Chief Communication Officer, Alexandra Bell, and wrote to Alex asking for details about Como’s collaboration with creators on social media.
Alexandra responded and requested detailed information and screenshots of the emails sent to creators to verify if they were from Como.
FactCheckAfrica immediately reached out to Berneese and she responded with notes and screenshots of the email she received, including the sender’s address.
According to Berneese, in an email to FactCheckAfrica, alongside a screenshot of the email received from the marketing agency.
“Please also add this context in case you want to know the reason I’m of the view this is a scam: The email domain is http://21av.co.uk, but their website doesn’t work when you try to access it. There also doesn’t seem to be any agency collaborating with creators on social media under the name 21 Avenue. I couldn’t find any social media presence for 21 Avenue on any platform, nor could I find any evidence of their previous work with creators. So how is it that a club like Como is going to work with an agency that seems so secretive, when there is no visible social media presence, working website, or evidence of their previous work anywhere? Lastly, they say you have to authenticate your account so they can track your story views. That also seems suspicious because it takes you to a website where you’re asked to enter your email and password.” Berneese stated.
FactcheckAfrica forwarded the screenshots of the email that Berneese suspected to be a scam to Como for verification.
Step 2: Como Confirms the Email is From Its Agency
Como’ Chief Communication Officer, Alexandra responded to the claim.
“Dear Samuel, Thank you for your patience. We have checked the email you shared and can confirm that it came from 21 AV, which is engaged to provide influencer marketing services focused on building awareness of Como 1907. Certain optional formats, such as Instagram Stories, use Instagram’s own login process to connect accounts for performance tracking. Creators are never asked to share their password or two-factor authentication code with 21 AV. None of the creators currently taking part in this campaign has Instagram Stories deliverables. This has been confirmed by 21 AV.” Alexandra confirmed.
Photo: Confirmation email message from Alex
Breaking Down Alexandra’s Emphasis:
This response is critical for two reasons:
First, Como confirms that the agency 21 AV is legitimate and is officially engaged by the club. The email domain @21av.co.uk that creator Berneese found suspicious is indeed an official channel for this campaign.
Second, Alexandra draws a clear line on the password issue. Alex states that while some optional Instagram Story formats may require account connection for tracking views, it uses Instagram’s own official login process, not a third-party form asking for a password. Alex emphasizes that creators are NEVER asked to share their password or two-factor authentication code with 21 AV. Furthermore, Alex clarifies that none of the creators currently taking part in this campaign has Instagram Stories deliverables, meaning no creator in this current campaign should be asked to authenticate at all.
This suggests that if Berneese was asked to enter her social media account username and password on an external website, that either deviates from the approved process or was not part of the current deliverables.
Step 3: Is Como Aware of the Global Campaign?
To be absolutely clear, FactCheckAfrica asked a direct follow-up: Is Como 1907 aware of this campaign by its marketing agency targeting creators?
Alexandra responded:
“Yes, Como 1907 is aware of and has commissioned the influencer marketing campaign managed by 21 AV. The campaign is global and involves creators across fashion, lifestyle, travel, business and football. Selection is based on their content and audience rather than a specific geographical focus.”
Critical Analysis of This Response:
This confirmation is definitive. It settles the core question: The campaign is real. It is commissioned by Como 1907 itself. It is global, not limited to Europe, and selection is based on content and audience, which explains why sports journalists in Nigeria and sport conten creators in Ghana were contacted.
Step 4: Could the Campaign Have Been Hijacked?
Because Berneese reported receiving two different emails, one ending with “The Football Edit” and another ending with “Como Cup 2026” FactCheck Africa suspected the possibility that the legitimate campaign format may have been cloned or hijacked by unknown individuals using a similar email format.
To verify this, we reached out again to Berneese to send the other email with “The Football Edit” for further verification from Como. Unfortunately, we could not get any response from her as at the time of this report.
Step 5: Balancing the Story
To ensure fairness, we reached out to Stone Avenue to send details about his collaboration with Como, including the email that was addressed to him for verification. In his response, he directed us to verify from Berneese instead who called it a scam, rather than providing the requested email details.
To further confirm the credibility of the marketing agency, we requested from Como’s Chief Communication Officer the official website and a direct contact person we could reach at 21 AV for independent verification. She provided us with the contact: Daniel@21av.co.uk.
Step 6: 21 AV Responds – Direct Confirmation
FactCheckAfrica contacted Daniel at 21 AV with four key questions: the official communication channel, verification of the emails in circulation sent to Factcheck Africa by Berneese, payment currency, and the agency’s official website.
On Wednesday, October 7, 2026, Daniel responded with full clarification.
“Thank you for your email.
Official communication
Collaboration proposals for this campaign are sent by 21 AV team members from email addresses ending in @21av.co.uk, which is our domain. They may also receive automated notifications from the campaign management platform we use. 21 AV does not use any local representatives or sub-agents.
“2. The email you attached
The attachments relate to one email, which is a genuine email sent by a member of the 21 AV team. It did not ask the creator to share her Instagram password or two-factor authentication code. It asked for her rates, a short content concept and example posts, and included a link to confirm her interest in the campaign. It also noted that certain optional formats, such as Instagram Stories, may require creators to connect their account for performance tracking. That connection is made through Instagram’s own login page, and login details are never shared with 21 AV or Como 1907. None of the creators currently taking part in the campaign has Instagram Stories deliverables.
“3. Payment
Creators are never asked to pay anything. As we work with creators internationally, fees are agreed individually with each creator or their representative and can be paid in the currency agreed with them, including US dollars. Payment is made by 21 AV after the agreed content has been published.
4. About 21 AV
21 AV Ltd is registered in England and Wales under company number 13797258, and its details are publicly available on Companies House. Our website is http://21av.co.uk.* Daniel clarified.
Photo: Response from Daniel
Breaking Down Daniel’s Response:
Daniel’s email settles all remaining doubts:
On Official Domain: He confirms that the legitimate domain is @21av.co.uk. The fact that Berneese and others received emails from this domain means they received a real campaign email, not a fake one. He also clarifies that 21 AV does not use local representatives or sub-agents, so any email claiming to be a “local partner” of 21 AV should be treated as suspicious.
On the Suspicious Email: Crucially, he confirms that the exact email screenshot Berneese sent to us is *genuine and from his team*. He clarifies it did NOT ask for her password or 2FA. It only asked for her rates, content concept, and example posts. The authentication link she saw was only an informational note about optional formats like Instagram Stories that may require connection via Instagram’s own login page, but login details are never shared with 21 AV. And importantly, he reiterates Como’s statement: None of the creators in this campaign has Instagram Stories deliverables, so no one should be asked to authenticate currently.
On Payment in USD: He addresses the USD concern. Since the campaign is global, fees are agreed individually and can be paid in the currency agreed with the creator, including US Dollars. Payment is made by 21 AV after the content is published, and creators are never asked to pay anything upfront. This is standard industry practice and explains why Stone Avenue was paid in USD despite Como being an Italian club.
On Agency Legitimacy: He finally provides transparency that was missing. 21 AV Ltd is registered in England and Wales under company number 13797258, verifiable on Companies House, and its website is 21av.co.uk.
Independent Verification of 21 AV Ltd
Beyond email confirmations, FactCheck Africa further went on the UK Government’s official company verification website. Companies House to independently verify if 21 AV truly exists with the company number provided.
We searched for company number 13797258 on http://find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk.
Our search confirmed that 21 AV Ltd is a legally registered and active private limited company in England and Wales. The company is listed as active on the public register, confirming Daniel’s claim about its legal active status.
FINAL VERDICT
After contacting Como 1907, 21 AV, and both creators, FactCheckAfrica concludes:
The claim that the Como 1907 email sent to Berneese is a scam is FALSE. Contrary to the viral allegation, the email is NOT A SCAM. Both Como 1907 and 21 AV independently confirmed to FactCheckAfrica that the email sent to Berneese is genuine.
However, the fear raised by Berneese and other creators is UNDERSTANDABLE and VALID. The agency had little public visibility as at the time creators checked, its website was previously inaccessible.
FALSE: The email flagged as scam is legitimate, and the Como 1907 campaign is real.
