46 Celebrities Named in Instagram Endorsement Scandal

The Federal Trade Commission is actively taking steps to root out stealth marketing campaigns on social media. As WWD reports, the FTC recently sent 90 "warning" letters to at least 46 celebrities citing Instagram posts in which the "material connection" between the celebrity and the marketer isn't so well defined. (In other words: Jen Selter, did you really buy that Adidas shirt, or are you on the company's payroll?)

These celebs include model Emily Ratajkowski, Heidi Klum, and Sean Combs. The FTC did not say explicitly that these celebrities violated the FTC's endorsement guidelines. Rather, they merely flagged suspicious posts, and emphasized that a "connection should be clearly and conspicuously disclosed, unless the connection is already clear from the context of the communication containing the endorsement." (Yes, that means using hashtags like #ad or #sponsored, so consumers aren't misled.)

We've compiled sample posts from 46 of the celebrities that the FTC alerted, and included them all right here. And to rack up some cash the right way, don't miss these 20 Greatest Credit Card Deals Right Now.

1 | Akon

Akon (@akon)—also known as Aliaume Damal Badara Thiam—is a singer and rapper with 3.2 million Instagram followers.

2 | Ashley Benson

Ashley Benson (@ashleybenson) made a name for herself on the hit show Pretty Little Liars.

3 | Victoria Beckham

Victoria Beckham (@victoriabeckham), née Posh Spice, is one half of the world's hottest couple.

4 | Sophia Bush

Sophia Bush (@sophiabush) first made waves in the show One Tree Hill. Now, she's on TV's Chicago P.D., and is a heavily involved political activist.

5 | Kristin Cavallari

You may remember Kristin Cavallari (@kristincavallari) from MTV's Laguna Beach, Gawker's 500 Days of Kristin, or as Mrs. Jay Cutler. She is also author of the book, Balancing in Heels.

6 | Ciara

Fun fact: Ciara's (@ciara) middle name is "Princess."

7 | Sean Combs

When he's not making music or movies, His Diddy-ness (@diddy) is posting to 8 million Instagram followers.

8 | Emily Ratajkowski

Supermodel Emily Ratajkowski (@emrata) is our favorite dog walker.

9 | Farrah Abraham

Reality TV star Farrah Abraham (@farrah_abraham) is one of the original Teen Moms.

10 | Lucy Hale

Actress and singer Lucy Hale (@lucyhale) stars in the teen drama Pretty Little Liars.

11 | Chelsea Houska

Chelsea Houska (@chelseahouska) was a Teen Mom—just not one of the originals.

12 | Vanessa Hudgens

Actress and singer Vanessa Hudgens (@vanessahudgens) first exploded on the scene in the teen-movie phenomenon High School Musical. Today, she's got more than 25.3 million followers on Instagram.

13 | Allen Iverson

NBA hall-of-famer Allen Iverson (@theofficialai3) boasts nearly 3 million followers on Instagram.

14 | James Harrison

One-man NFL defensive terror James Harrison (@jharrison92) plays football for the Pittsburgh Steelers. These days, however, he's just as well known on social media for his over-the-top weightroom feats.