Demi Lovato caught selling fake autographs to her fans on official web site
Singer, songwriter, actress Demi Lovato has been caught in a controversy after AutographCOA.com lead authenticator, Justin Steffman, has identified that the “autographed” merchandise being sold to fans on Demi’s official web site is fake.
“It’s upsetting that Demi is misleading her fans by using fake autographs to push her new album.” said Steffman.
Steffman, who specializes in authenticating modern music and celebrity autographs through his company, AutographCOA.com, first realized Lovato was selling fake autographs on her store after fans on the Real Autograph Collectors Club (RACC: the world’s leading autograph club) shared pictures of the fake merchandise they purchased. To a regular fan with an untrained eye, the autographs may appear authentic, but Steffman realized immediately that the signatures are near-identical to one another; a tell tale sign that an autopen machine is being used.
An autopen machine is a device used for the automatic signing of a signature or autograph, which can repeatedly and accurately forge an original autograph on various surfaces.
Demi Lovato’s web site is using such a machine to sell merchandise promoting her new “Tell Me Why You Love Me” album. All 3 products featuring the forged autopen signatures are unusually low-priced for authentically signed merchandise. They have also been for sale unusually long for original signed merchandise, which typically sells out in a day or two on official artist sites. The prices for “autographed” merchandise on Demi Lovato’s site are $9.98 for an “autographed” poster, $19.98 for a “autographed” cd, and $39.98 for an “autographed” vinyl. The official store does not indicate anywhere that any of these products for sale are not going to be hand signed originals, nor does it mention the use of a mechanical device to reproduce her autograph.
Samples of merchandise signed by autopen are included in this release for reference. The example signatures attached can be layered on top of one another (using photo software) to reveal their identical nature.
Screenshots are also attached of fans’ social reactions to receiving (what they believe to be) genuine autographs from the singer. Additionally, we have included screenshots of members of RACC (the ‘Real Autograph Collectors Club’) who, realizing they had been duped, were denied full refunds for their purchases by Demi Lovato’s official store support.
Demi Lovato’s official store can be found at https://shop.demilovato.com/
The AutographCOA autograph authentication service can be found at: http://www.autographcoa.com
The Real Autograph Collectors Club (RACC), the leading internet group for in person autograph collectors and fans, can be found at: http://www.facebook.com/groups/realautographcollectorsclub
