A user on TikTok has gone viral after recounting an interaction she allegedly had in a Target. According to the TikToker, what originally appeared to be a casual conversation ended with her almost being recruited for something she calls a “scam.”
In a video with over 6.6 million views as of Friday, TikTok user Kylen (@kyylen) says she was shopping at Target when someone complimented her glasses. This inspired the two to strike up a conversation.
“She looks about my age, maybe a little bit older,” Kylen recalls. “So we just start chatting about college, and ‘what did you study,’ and how I just moved here—and we’re just talking about normal things that you would talk about with someone that is your age.”
Eventually, the conversation moved to finance, she says. The woman told Kylen that she works as a project manager for architecture while making money with a side hustle. While Kylen got a bit suspicious, she says she also thought she was making a new friend.
At one point, the person mentioned that she has friends who have achieved, or are working toward, financial freedom. Kylen again thought this was strange, but the conversation moved swiftly on afterward. By the end, the two exchanged numbers and departed from each other, the TikToker recalls.
“I walk away from the conversation kind of thinking, ‘That was strange,’ but not as strange as it really was,” Kylen says. “She goes on her merry way. I go on mine, and then an hour passes by and I never see her in the store again.”
While Kylen shopped, she says something bizarre happened: another woman, about her same age, approached her and complimented her glasses. Soon, they’re having a conversation that’s strikingly similar to the one she just had with the first woman, including details about school, e-commerce, and financial freedom.
“I’m like, ‘Oh, cool’ —realizing that she’s telling me kind of the same story that this girl was,” Kylen states. Kylen later got a call from her boyfriend and was able to excuse herself from the conversation without exchanging contact information, she says.
“The following day, the first girl that I saw at Target texted me and asked me to meet for coffee sometime soon and just talk about the ability to be financially free,” Kylen reveals. “And I’m like, ‘Oh my God, I knew this b*tch was a scammer.’”
Kylen says she later saw people on Facebook groups posting about similar “scams.”
“If someone compliments you at Target, someone young, just say ‘Thank you’ and keep on walking,” Kylen concludes.
Kylen isn’t the first to warn about this recruitment method. Last month, another TikTok user sparked discussion after recounting several instances of Multi-Level Marketing schemes attempting to recruit her in stores.
This has also been a common topic of discussion on other internet forums for years. For example, a post on Reddit from three years ago claims that someone approached the poster and complimented their coat, only to later discover that they were trying to recruit them for Amway, a multi-level marketing company known to sell health and beauty products.
These interactions do not solely happen at Target. One user claims they were approached at a sporting goods store, while another says their recruitment attempt happened while shopping for groceries.
@kyylen to this day, im STILL confused about what went down… #storytime #scammeralert #mlm #pyramidscheme #storytimemakeup ♬ original sound – Kylen Paige
Many commenters suspected that the business in question in Kylen’s video was AMWAY.
“Amway people ALWAYS bring up ‘friends who are retired at a young age’ & the ‘friends’ are always a married couple. its an Amway calling card for sure,” detailed a user.
“I was in Amway – They literally coach us how to approach, what to talk about, how to direct conversation into getting a 2nd meeting with you,” offered another. “They’re really good haha!”
Others simply shared their thoughts on this method of recruitment.
“As soon as I hear financial freedom, I know it’s some kind of scam,” declared a commenter.
“The worst part is that it is SO hard to make friends as adults and this tactic makes most of us even more hesitant to try,” shared a second.
The Daily Dot reached out to Target, Amway, and Kylen via email.
