A Ukrainian tiktoker who filmed himself giving a young girl on the street a new smartphone to get views on the popular video app, only to ask for it back once the “touching” scene was filmed, has sparked outrage on social media.
From pulling cruel pranks on unsuspecting bystanders, to renting studios to make themselves look richer, there’s not a lot modern online influencers won’t do for clicks and views. But one young influencer in Russia crossed the line when he decided to heartlessly deceive a young girl by making her think she was getting a new smartphone for free, only to then ask for it back, claiming it was just props for a TikTok video. Things got really bad when the child understandably refused to hand over her gift.
A video posted by Russian news outlet Lenta shows Ukrainian tiktoker Alexánder Volóshin approaching a young girl and her mother on the streets of Kiev. At one point, the influencer offers the girl a brand new iPhone and even leans in to hug her, but as soon as his friend confirms that the scene was caught on camera, Volóshin changes his tune.
After making the little girl feel like the luckiest person alive, the vlogger heartlessly asks for the smartphone back, saying that it was just a props for a TikTok video and that he needs it back. The girl and her mother understandably refuse to return the allegedly fake iPhone, claiming that it was offered to them freely, as a gift, and that the whole scene was caught on camera.
Украинский тиктокер для видео подарил девочке айфон, но уже за кадром потребовал его обратно.
В обмен на телефон блогер был готов дать почти 5,5 тысяч рублей (2000 гривен). Маме девочки такой расклад не понравился, поэтому тиктокеру пришлось отвоёвывать смартфон силой pic.twitter.com/F2en6zWObx
— Лента.ру (@lentaruofficial) June 22, 2021
At one point, Alexánder Volóshin offers the little girl 2,000 hryvna ($75) in exchange for the new iPhone, but after his offer is refused, he shockingly pulls the boxed handheld from the child’s hands, ignoring the mother’s warning that he was making her daughter cry.
It’s not clear how the scene ended, but seeing as the whole ordeal was caught on camera and posted on social media, I think it’s safe to assume that Alexánder Volóshin lost a few of his followers. Sure, it’s possible that the whole thing was staged by the vlogger, just to get online exposure, but if that’s true, it may not have been the smartest marketing strategy…
