TV Actress Aishwarya Sakhuja reveals how she got scammed in a fake brand collaboration

TV Actress Aishwarya Sakhuja reveals how she got scammed in a fake brand collaboration

• Aishwarya Sakhuja reveals she was scammed in a fake brand collaboration scheme
• She warns creators about fraud after agency vanished post video delivery
• She was scammed into buying products upfront, thinking it was standard practice.

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Television actress Aishwarya Sakhuja has shared a shocking incident of being scammed through what appeared to be a brand collaboration, warning fellow creators and audiences about how easily fraud can slip through the cracks even when you think you are alert.

In a recent video, Aishwarya admitted she had always prided herself on being aware of digital fraud and the growing list of scams in the country.

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A post shared by Aishwarya Sakhuja (@ash4sak)

But this incident, she said, proved otherwise. “So, you know, I would always take a lot of pride in the fact that I’m a very aware citizen and I know about all the scams that are happening in the country and I always thought that this can’t happen to me because I know everything. Bullshit! I know nothing. I got scammed guys,” she said, adding that she was “so amused with the way these guys have scammed me.”

She said, the approach came in the form of a professional-sounding collaboration pitch. Aishwarya claimed a brand called Haven and Vic Scandals reached out through an agency named Hive Collective, which she said is run by a person called Poonam Soni. The pitch, she explained, was to have Sakhuja promote the brand on her social media.

Aishwarya Sakhuja said her manager was excited about the opportunity, especially because it felt like a step into a newer lifestyle marketing space. The payment structure also seemed standard on paper: “50% on the delivery of the video, 50% after 30 days of the video going live,” she said, describing it as a collaboration between the brand and her page.

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The red flag, she admitted, was a strange requirement that she would have to personally purchase the candles instead of receiving them as part of the campaign. Still, she said she rationalised it as a possible new industry practice, believing the influencer would be reimbursed later.

Sakhuja claimed that after the video was delivered, the agency contact allegedly disappeared. “Right after the delivery of the video, Poonam Soni from Hive Collective just went missing, okay, absconding,” she said.

When her team contacted the brand directly, Aishwarya Sakhuja said they denied any association with Hive Collective. However, she also claimed that when she checked online, Hive Collective’s page still showed a collaboration with Haven and Vic, which she found deeply ironic.

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In a sharp closing observation, she joked that the scam had evolved into something even stranger. “So now from influencer marketing, now they’ve gone into influencer consumption,” she said, calling it “very, very unique,” before adding, “I still can’t get over the fact that I got scammed, guys.”

Aishwarya Sakhuja is a familiar face on Indian television, best known for playing Toasty in the popular family comedy Sasural Genda Phool. Over the years, she has also appeared in reality shows, hosted TV segments, and taken on varied roles across entertainment formats, building a steady presence beyond daily soaps.