As the holiday season grows nearer, people are becoming a little bit more giving. But this increased generosity might be exploited, as scams appear to be at an all-time high.
In a viral video, which has currently amassed 777,900 momfluencer Lace revealed how supposedly she ended up being the victim of a scam at Target—and the perpetrator was a 6 or 7 years old.
After pulling up at the supermarket, the creator explained how she felt a child pulling on her leg, with the only word she can say in English being “help.”
Then, a woman who appears to speak little English approaches Lace with a poorly spelt card “looking like she’s about to cry.” The card says she has six kids, no food, and no husband, and she then proceeds to beg the creator to buy her baby formula.
However, as she and her daughter enter the store, they “shoot off in opposite directions.” More red flags continue to emerge, as Lace asks the woman what formula she wants and she is unable to answer, before picking up the most expensive formula possible.
The daughter then scans socks without asking, before trying to put “handfuls of candy” through the self-checkout.
After some convincing, Lace also buys the socks—but she draws the line at the candy.
“So I’m like, ‘I feel like I just got scammed but I’m gonna keep the receipt, and I hope they actually have a baby,” she added.
But the thing that really gave the ruse away is when the mother, who originally didn’t appear to speak English, asked Lace for the recipt “in perfect English.”
“Did i just spend 73$ i didn’t really have on a scam?” she asked.
A cashier and security guard then revealed to Lace it really was a scam, to her dismay. Earlier that day, the cashier noted that the woman was outside Target asking for money.
“Its really sad to me that it was a child that approached me,” Lace told viewers. “They are teaching this child to go up to strangers and tell them that they need help. It’s just wrong and its so low, I thought I was helping someone who needed formula for their baby.”
@ugc_momma Would anyone else have fallen for this, or am I stupid? #momlife #ugcmomma #ugcchristmas #ugccreator #momsoftoddlers #toddlersoftiktok #momsoftiktok ♬ Christmas standard song – 3KTrack
But even though she ended up being scammed, Lace says she doesn’t regret her actions. “I’m not gonna apologize for caring, I’m not going to apologise for having a big heart, but maybe I’m a little gullible,” she added.
Lace didn’t immediately respond to the Daily Dot’s request for comment via email.
