Man Uses Investors’ Money to Fund Personal Influencer Getaway
By: David Mason
Tags: Influencer, Social Media, Retreats, Scam, Ben Morrison

In what seems to be reminiscent of the 2017 Fyre Festival, Benjamin Morrison, a social media promotor based out of Gold Coast, Australia was able to defraud investors out of tens of thousands of dollars in what was supposed to be a luxury retreat for influencers and paying investors; however, the only participants who were able to enjoy the vacation were Morrison and his entourage of beautiful social media influencers who were paid by others to attend the luxury getaway.

According to the investors of the trip, Morrison pitched what was supposed to be a luxurious weekend in the Whitsundays Islands, filled with complimentary alcohol, exotic yachts, jet ski tours, and prostegious Michelin Star rated dinners. The trip was supposedly an influencer meetup where everyone attending was to pay for their spot ahead of time on this luxury vacation, with packages starting at over $3,000 USD.

A photo from Morrison’s Instagram story displaying the influencer retreat.

With seltzer brands and enticing videos showing off luxury accommodations and exciting activities, the trip appeared to be one for the books. The promised Airbnb’s were fully booked, and several influencers had confirmed their attendance via Instagram posts; however, the trip was not everything it seemed to be. In fact, Morrison had already made other plans in which he would use his investors’ money for.

Many investors reported that after wiring Morrison the funds to his company, Boss Media Empire, they were never given the proposed flight plans, accommodation confirmations, or an address of where the retreat was being held. Upon further investigation, it was revealed that the influencers, all of which were women, had all of their lodging and flights paid for by Morrison. When investors caught wind of what was happening, they were blocked and ignored when they attempted to reach out to Ben and representatives of his company.

An invoice sent to one of the investors from Benjamin Morrison (Boss Media Empire).

Morrison was able to garner his investors’ attention by attending high profile parties around Queensland, Australia. Whether it was invite-only yacht parties, or exclusive penthouse gatherings, Morrison had made a name for himself among the Queensland Elite. “No one seemed to know exactly what he did for work, but he was always in attendance at social gatherings being friendly with other attendees who he would eventually line up for his next project,” one investor stated.

While the investors of this retreat are eagerly waiting for this situation to unfold, Benjamin Morrison has supposedly gone into hiding. He recently disabled his Instagram account, and he has ignored all emails and calls from those involved, as well as the media. Many of the influencers who attended the retreat stated that certain aspects of the trip seemed very suspicious, and when they asked Morrison where the other male attendees were, he would never give an actual answer.

We will contine to keep readers updated on this situation as the story unfolds. We encourage all readers to fully research events before booking them, no matter how amazing or legitamate they seem.