Kim Zolciak was blasted by her Instagram fans and followers on Tuesday after posting a link to a clickbait article that appeared to imply her daughter Brielle Biermann was pregnant.
However, anyone who was fooled into click on the story discovered that Brielle wasn't pregnant at all.
The deceptive Instagram post included a fake sonogram image which further confused the former Real Housewives Of Atlanta star's fans.
But the post wasn't just to gain attention, as Kim was paid to post it, sources familiar with the situation told TMZ. The eyebrow-raising move comes amid Kim and her estranged husband Kroy Biermann's ongoing financial woes, which were exacerbated when Chase Bank sued him for $13,000 in overdue credit card payments.
DailyMail.com has reached out to representatives for Kim and Brielle seeking comment.
Kim wasn't at all subtle with her post, which included a sonogram image at the bottom.
It was juxtaposed with a photo of Kim and Brielle together, which could have predisposed her followers to assume that Brielle was pregnant, but the fake image included Brielle's name on it, which falsely suggested that it was a real sonogram from her.
'I’M SO EXCITED TO BE A GRANDMA! [pregnant woman emoji] #LinkInBio,' Kim captioned the post.
But anyone who clicked on the link in her profile was treated to a clickbait article that made it clear that Brielle was not actually pregnant.
It included quotes about how Kim hoped she would become pregnant, but no real pregnancy.
According to TMZ's sources, Kim was getting a kickback for posting the article, though it's unclear how much she was earning and if it was a flat fee or based on how many fans she misled into clicking.
The Don't Be Tardy star eventually turned off comments on her fake sonogram post after receiving plenty of furious responses from her followers, but users could initially reply to it.
'Broke broke as a joke joke. Get that spending under control,' wrote one angry fan, via Page Six.
Others wrote that she was 'desperate' for money, and others said she was doing it in a play for attention.
'Whatever makes the news gets them paid at this point they will do anything to stay in the headlines!' wrote one person.
Another user said they planned to report the post as false information.
It's unclear if Kim's alleged payment for either the clickbait article or the post would have required her to list the post as an ad, which she did not do.
Kim appears to be in financial dire straits, as both she and Kroy have been sued for tens of thousands of dollars in unpaid credit card bills.
They also allegedly owe $1 million to the IRS.
The divorcing couple previously feuded over the sale of their house, as the former NFL player wanted to put it on the market to help pay for their bills — and avoid a less-advantageous foreclosure — but Kim blocked that move for weeks until they finally agreed to put the house on the market for $6 million.
She has also repeated advertised her pricy clothing and designer handbags on Instagram, urging her fans to purchase them.
However, when a fan recently inquired if all the items she was trying to sell were evidence of the depths of her financial issues, she claimed that she merely had too many possessions and was trying to cut down on the clutter.
