'My husband got two naked lady requests!' Peloton users left outraged after being inundated with fake followers - many of whom have PORNOGRAPHIC profile photos
- Peloton bikes overnight were hit with a wave of new accounts showing explicit photos as their profile picture
- The company confirmed Monday they are working to delete and block the accounts
- Peloton urges users who has received follow requests or seen the spam accounts to report them immediately
Peloton is taking action after bikes were hit overnight by spam accounts that left pornography on the screens of users across the country.
The lewd images were showing up in profile photos of bot and fake accounts and have been reported on Reddit by users under the r/pelotoncycle page.
A statement issued Monday confirmed Peloton is looking into the incidents and working to block the accounts responsible.
The damage was already done, however, as users reported seeing the images in full display, with one rider writing: 'My husband got two naked lady requests today. None for me though.'
Peloton bikes were inundated with spam accounts displaying pornography overnight
Users received follows from accounts like the one above, which featured nude and lewd images as the profile pictures
The explicit images were shown as profile pictures on many accounts which had no followers and often linked to website's outside of the app.
While officials say they are working to crack down on the images, Peloton is also urging customers to report any explicit photos they have seen.
A post from the Pelobuddy blog first outlined the issue and described in detail how the scam accounts were operating.
'Multiple members have reported getting new suspicious-looking follower alerts overnight,' the blog page stated.
'The newly created accounts that are showing up as follow requests (or notifications) are being followed by 0 people, but are following hundreds or thousands of people. They also have 0 workouts on their account.'
The accounts would feature nude and explicit photos and use names and random characters or numbers, such as 'Lara38737483' as their profile name for rides.
While participating in a ride, users can see the profile name and picture of others who are also taking the class.
This is the message Peloton posted regarding the spam accounts and the pornographic images displayed on the bikes
Users on Reddit reported receiving follow requests from newly made accounts which had zero followers and zero total rides
During a ride, users can see others who are riding with them on the side of the screen
Peloton officials are urging riders not to interact with the accounts and to moderate their own accounts closely over the coming days.
'Today, Peloton is taking active action against accounts being intentionally created with inappropriate content, including explicit imagery in their profile picture. These explicit images are a direct violation of our standards and terms of service,' Peloton said in a message to users.
'We are actively working to block these accounts and continue to moderate explicit images associated with user profiles,' the company said.
According to Peloton's terms of services, users are not allowed to 'use someone else’s name, or any name, location, other public profile information or image that violates any third party rights, is against the law, or that is offensive, obscene or otherwise objectionable.'
'We are actively working to block these accounts and continue to moderate explicit images associated with user profiles,' the company said in a message to users
Users first started reporting the confusing and startling images Sunday.
'Has anyone else seen seen spam users? I just had a notification to say I had a new follower (I have zero followers as I haven't linked to socials),' wrote one user on the Reddit page.
'The profile photo is a nude girl and the bio includes a link to her online spaces,' the Peloton rider continued on the thread.
The comment was upvoted and received responses from dozens of other users who stated they were experiencing similar issues.
'I got one too. She had her whole ti**ies out! Didn't think nudity could go in a profile picture,' wrote one person in response.
The situation was first brought up Sunday in the r/Pelotoncycle thread on Reddit
Reddit users were quick to comment on the nude and lewd images in some profile pics
One woman claimed her husband received requests from two accounts that featured naked women in their profile photos
'This is certainly not the community experience we expect for our Peloton Member,' the company said
'Please do not accept or reply to these follow-requests,' Peloton said.
'We apologize to those of you who received these follower requests and were exposed to this content.'
'This is certainly not the community experience we expect for our Peloton Member,' the company continued.
Anyone who believes they may have been followed by a scam account or one that breaks the company's terms of use can file a report here.
Peloton is asking users who received follow requests to report any spam accounts
This is just the latest in a series of unfortunate events for the once lauded exercise and fitness equipment company.
After emerging during the COVID-19 pandemic, the company has seen six straight quarters of losses and hundreds of job cuts.
In November, Peloton released a sales prediction that showed the second quarter down 37 per cent from the year before.
Chief Executive Officer Barry McCarthy who took over in February has called the attempted turnaround a 'work in progress.'
Peloton's two years of disasters
March 2021: Peloton warns parents to keep children away from its Tread+ treadmills after a six year old child is killed after being pulled underneath one of them
May 2021: Peloton recalls the running machines after reports of at least 72 other injuries emerge. Class action lawsuits against the company are filed
June 2021: Firm is accused of greed after disabling 'Just Run' feature on Tread+ which lets users run for free, instead forcing them to pay a $39 fee. Brought the free option back after an outcry
August 2021: Peloton slashes cost of its entry-level bike by $400 as revenue growth slows
November 2021: Peloton reports sales of its products fell by 17 percent for the most recent quarter, with the smallest gain in subscribers since going public in September 2019. That saw Peloton's market cap tumble by $8 billion, and John Foley lose his billionaire status
December 2021: Mr Big - played by Chris Noth - dies of a heart attack after using a Peloton in the Sex and the City reboot And Just Like That. Shares continue to drop. Days later, Peloton is hailed for producing an advert featuring the revived character joking about the exercise bike. But it is forced to pull the hailed commercial after Noth is hit by multiple claims of sexual assault, which he denies
Firm hit by fresh scandal after John Foley hosts lavish Christmas party for select employees, after annual bash was scrapped for rank-and-file staff
Chris Noth, who plays Mr Big in Sex and the City, dies from a heart attack after using his Peloton
January 2022: Leaked audio reveals plans to fire 41% of sales and marketing teams. Stock price tumbles further after it emerged production of bikes and treadmills would be slowed due to sinking demand.
Calls for Foley to be fired emerge.
The PR gets even worse as another TV character is almost killed off from a heart attack after a Peloton session. Showtime's popular series Billions used the bikes to give Mike Wagner, played by David Costabile, a scare in the season six premiere. He survives, and declared he is not going to die 'like Mr Big'
Mike Wagner, played by David Costabile, is seen in the Season 6 premiere of Showtime’s Billions having a heart attack after riding a Peloton bike
February 2022: Executives at Peloton alleged to have hatched a plan to conceal rust and corrosion on their high-end bikes with a chemical solution.
When staff noticed that paint was flaking off some of the machines last year the company allegedly began using a chemical solution that disguised corrosion on the bikes by 'reacting with the rust to form a black layer', according to the Financial Times.
May 2022: Peloton's stocks plummet nearly 90 percent over the past year, as company executives revealed that it lost a staggering $750 million in the previous quarter due to unsold inventory and mounting costs.
The company lost $757.1 million for the three months of 2022, amounting to about $2.27 per share. And when stripping out nonrecurring items from the equation, a survey by Zacks Investment Research, it lost 98 cents per share - outpacing projections of a per-share loss of 85 cents.
August 2022: Company announces it is slashing 784 jobs, increasing equipment prices, closing retail locations, and requiring employees to return to the office by November, as they try to secure their bottom line.
Peloton reports a huge $1.2 billion loss, its sixth consecutive quarter of reported losses, sending shares tumbling 15 percent.
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