Scam Alert: Brand You Creative Agency and Lee Kavanagh

There is an elaborate scam that has been plaguing the freelance community for some time now. A design and branding company called BrandYou Creative Agency, owned by Lee Kavanagh, hires talent, threatens them, and fires them without pay. Although there have been complaints, this has not stopped the abuse and scam.

The branding agency posts its jobs on various platforms, ranging from Glassdoor to Hubstaff, targeting university students and freelancers overseas. Once they are contacted,  BrandYou begins the abusive process that ends in firing without pay. These include:

1. A trial period without pay: Many workers do not survive the shouting and demeaning treatment
2. They sign an NDA and are threatened with legal action if they share anything about the company.
3. They receive a work contract with extremely low wages
4. When the payment gets near, they are fired without payment.

How Lee Kavanagh Treats His Workers

On any given workday, the virtual workplace is converted into a show filled with expletive expressions and name-calling of the employees. He calls them criminals, scumbags, useless, and scammers.

When consulted on whether BrandYou Creative Agency was a scam, Google's AI Overview replied:

"There is a legitimate digital marketing agency in Ireland called Brand You Creative, but there are also reports of scam, fraudulent activity, and poor employment practices associated with this … service. 

"Reviews are mixed. Some, likely former employees, have reported extremely negative experiences, alleging, "worst MD," "doesn't pay as at when due," and claiming that employees were pressured to leave positive reviews. Other reviews mention adequate communication and a collaborative team environment."

One ex-employee told Glassdoor that “Worst MD, doesn't pay as at when due, Talks down on employees, doesn't care about your rights. I feel he is mentally unstable..” 

However, my personal experience confirms that this company is a high-end scam that abuses freelancers, especially university students. i In December 2025, I joined the company as an SEO and PPC manager. I went through the same process: 6 days without pay, an NDA, and then a one-month contract.

The environment was truly stressful, and at times I wondered how the staff tolerated such a barrage of ill treatment, lined with expletives. Every time he tried the sme with me, I was sure to remind him that we are professionals. University students, are not usually this bold.

Nonetheless, when I sent Lee Kavanagh my invoice on January 19, he claimed that he never received it. However, after a week of excuses and seeing that I would not continue, he acknowledged that he had received.

To date, I have not been paid, and like the other workers, I am now called a ‘scammer, criminal, etc''. I am writing this scam alert so that other freelancers can avoid this scammer and abuser.