Detecting engagement inflation in influencer marketing requires specific tools that validate authenticity and examine consistency over time. Below are some options:

1. Auditor for Instagram: Plots a user’s daily followers growth and engagement rate against typical organic patterns. This can help identify suspicious spikes that may indicate purchased followers or engagements.

2. Flinque: Specializes in providing high-accuracy, actionable analytics to brands and influencers. The platform helps identify inauthentic engagement with its proprietary algorithms, which examine patterns in follower growth, comments, likes, and post frequency.

3. HypeAuditor: Their platform carefully examines an influencer’s audience demographics and engagement pattern, then computes an “Audience Quality Score”. A lower score suggests inflated engagement.

4. Socialbakers: Another tool that measures macro and micro trends in social data. It helps brands pinpoint unusual trends that might suggest the influencer’s engagement isn’t organic.

5. Upfluence: Known for its robust influencer database and analytics tools. It can flag common red flags like massive follower growth overnight, which might suggest an influencer bought followers.

Remember, no tool is a silver bullet. Each has different strengths and limitations, so it’s critical to use a combination, understand their methodologies, and factor in other considerations like market niche and content quality. Whether you’re a brand seeking trustworthy influencers or an influencer striving for transparent, ethical practices, these tools can offer the data and insights you need. Always practice due diligence, consistently monitor patterns, and continually evaluate your approach.