Glamorous LA travel influencer who earns $4,500 per Instagram post is sued for ‘misleading followers with false claims she is the first woman to visit every country in the world’ – and leaving 5 star review for own book’
- Cassie De Pecol, 33, hit headlines in 2017 after claiming to be the first woman to travel to every country in the world
- A consumer rights group alleges she ‘misled’ her followers and sponsors amid claims other women achieved the feat first
- De Pecol – who earns as much as $4,500 for an Instagram post – has also been accused of writing fake five-star reviews of her own book on Amazon
A glamorous travel influencer who says she is the first woman on record to visit every country in the world is locked in a bitter legal dispute amid claims other female globetrotters achieved the feat first.
LA resident Cassie De Pecol – who charges $4,500 per Instagram post – is being sued by consumer rights organization Travelers United who allege she misled her 484,0000 followers and lucrative brand sponsors over the claim.
A complaint filed by Travelers United also accused De Pecol, 33, of writing a fake five-star review of her own book on Amazon in which she was favorably compared to Serena Williams.
The group adds that on her worldwide tour, the influencer would simply step outside an airport in some countries before quickly boarding another flight.
Now De Pecol – who has enjoyed brand partnerships with Venus razors and Quest protein bars – has hit back the ‘defamatory’ allegations and threatened a $500,000 counter-suit against Travelers United attorneys. She ‘vehemently denies’ the allegations.
Travel influencer Cassie De Pecol, 33, is locked in a bitter legal dispute over claims she ‘misled’ her followers and sponsors by claiming to be the first woman to visit every country in the world
De Pecol is also accused of writing a fake five-star review of her own book on Amazon in which she compared herself favorably to Serena Williams. De Pecol denies making any misleading statements
De Pecol has enjoyed brand partnerships with Venus razors and Quest protein bars
De Pecol – who hails from Connecticut – hit headlines and appeared on a host of TV shows in 2017 after repeatedly insisting she was the first woman to visit every country in the world.
Aged 27 at the time, she was featured in the New York Times, Cosmopolitan and Teen Vogue and appeared on ABC News and the Today Show among others.
But she quickly received backlash from the online travel community who said several other women had achieved the record first.
Many pointed to German traveler Nina Sedano who published a book in which she discussed visiting every recognized country. Sedano published two additional books in Germany about her travels.
Audrey Walsworth, an 87-year-old living in Marceline, Missouri, also claims to have visited all 193 countries in the world as of 2018.
And Dorothy Pine, who passed away in 2011, is also said to have visited each of the world’s 193 recognized countries with her husband Robert.
Pine’s achievement was noted by the Colorado State Legislature in 2006 and she is widely considered to be the first woman to have achieved the feat by travel fanatics.
The number of countries in the world can differ over time due to how many authorities officially recognize. There are currently 195, while De Pecol says she has visited 196.
Amid the backlash De Pecol then appeared to alter her claim to state she was the first woman ‘on record’ to have traveled to every country in the world.
But Travelers United last year launched a legal complaint against her as they pointed out she had never verified her claims with popular travel tracking groups ‘NomadMania’; and ‘Most Traveled People.’
Instead her ‘on record’ caveat appears to be in relation to two Guinness World Records (GWR) she holds.
Welcome to 196 countries TikTok ☺️ #tiktoktravel #travel solofemaletravel
A media kit from 2018 says that she charges $4,500 to post an Instagram advert about a product and $2,500 for an Instagram story
De Pecol continues to claim on her Instagram account that she is the ‘first woman on record to travel every country in the world’
The legal complaint – seen by Dailymail.com – states that the two GWR records were ‘Fastest time to travel all sovereign nations’ and ‘Fastest time to travel all sovereign nations – female.’ Neither appear to state she was the first.
The organization alleges that De Pecol has breached the District of Columbia Consumer Protection Procedures Act (CCPPA) and ‘defrauded investors and sponsors.’
The complaint added: ‘[De Pecol] sought to erase women’s history for her own financial benefit, and she has continued to give press misleading statements about her travels or awards, and yet her social media following keeps growing.’
Attorneys also alleged that De Pecol frequently tags herself in hotels without stating whether or not she was being paid for the content.
Influencers are by law required to say if they have been paid to promote a product on social media.
A media kit from 2018 says that she charges $4,500 to post an Instagram advert about a product and $2,500 for an Instagram story.
She also charges $6,500 for a YouTube video about a product and $7,000 to post all across her social media.
On top of that she incurs a $18,00 fee for speaking at corporate events.
De Pecol’s bio continues to state she is the ‘first woman on record to travel every country in the world.’
The lawsuit also alleges that she fabricated how long she had visited each country.
Her entry in the Guinness World Records states she spent ‘anywhere from one single day to two weeks in a country.’
DePecol – who hails from Connecticut – hit headlines and appeared on a range of TV shows in 2017 after repeatedly insisting she was the first woman to visit every country in the world
She has been featured in the New York Times, Cosmopolitan and Teen Vogue and appeared on ABC News and the Today Show among others
Travelers United claims the influencer would simply step outside an airport in some countries before quickly turning back on herself and boarding another flight
De Pecol has amassed over 400,000 followers documenting her adventures online
However the complaint alleges: ‘In many countries it is clear she didn’t spend a day. She didn’t even spend an hour.
It quotes a blog post from witness Hans Petter Stølsvik who says he shared a flight with De Pecol to Tuvalu, an island nation in the South Pacific.
‘The day we were leaving the island waiting for the plane, a girl stumbled into the departure lounge,’ he said.
‘I asked her who she was as I hadn’t seen her on the island the days before, she mentions she just arrived with the same flight we were leaving with.
‘She was also going back with the same flight. This was Cassandra de Pecol.’
The organization also claims to have proof that a five-star review of her own Amazon book was actually written by De Pecol herself.
The review states: ‘Cassie discussed that her goal was to also make history and that she did.
German adventurer Nina Sedano, pictured, also claims to have visited all 193 countries in the world
Sedena published a book in German in 2014 about her adventures
‘If you look at the examples from historical figures like Serena Williams and Lance Armstrong (who cheated, but got what he deserved), Michael Phelps, and all of the other individuals who had to fight for their truth and prove themselves in order to make history, Cassie had to do that as well.’
The review was posted from someone called ‘Sarah’ but when Travelers United clicked on the account they found a note saying ‘Cassie De Pecol earns money from this storefront.’ And the page was filled with products linked to De Pecol.
Attorneys acting on behalf of De Pecol and Travelers United have filed a joint motion to give them 60 days to settle the case through mediation.
De Pecol has until May 17 to file a response to the issues outlined in the complaint while a meeting between the two parties is scheduled for June 16.
Last month her attorneys threatened a counter-suit against Travelers United attorney Lauren Wolfe which would seek more than $500,000 in damages.
A letter addressed to Wolfe read: ‘We, on Cassandra De Pecol’s behalf, have prepared a counterclaim against Travelers and a third-party complaint against you personally due to your repeated false and defamatory statements about Ms. De Pecol (too numerous to cite here) and your continued, malicious interference with Ms. De Pecol’s business contracts and relationships.’
Her attorneys also told Dailymail.com: ‘This case will be tried in a court of law in the District of Columbia.
‘However, given the outrageous allegations levied against Ms. De Pecol, I will say that Ms. De Pecol vehemently denies Travelers United’s claims, and we will mount a vigorous defense and offense on her behalf.
‘Ms. De Pecol looks forward to setting the record straight during this litigation.’
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