INSTA-SCAM: Influencer faked own abduction out of boredom
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An influencer with millions of followers faked her own abduction in the name of having a “little fun.”
Instagram content creator Victoria Rose, who has more than 3.7 million Instagram followers, had posted a series of now-deleted messages from alleged captors following news that she had been kidnapped in Nigeria, the U.K. Daily Mail reported, per the New York Post.
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“I have kidnapped Vicky,” read one of the posts. “She is with me in Nigeria. I am demanding $1 million for her release.”
But the bored influencer eventually came clean.
“We kind of got carried away with the joke,” Rose — who posts under the handle Whoa Vicky — said in the clip. “I don’t drink or go to the club, so this is how I find my entertainment.”
While Rose admitted that the fake abduction was not “the best way” to put a little excitement in her life, she went on to say that “sometimes, you want to have a little fun.”
“The Bible said laughter is good for the soul,” Rose said. “So, I’d be wanting to laugh, and this is how I find that funny.”
Her commentary got even weirder when she claimed that she can’t date many people because of her “Christian values” and is therefore forced to seek other outlets for amusement.
“We all struggle in different areas. So, I’m not saying this was the right thing to do,” she said. “But I take accountability and ownership. I’m sorry for anyone that I harmed in the process.”
Rose uploaded an Instagram picture of her with a man that was tagged to Lagos, Nigeria, the same location where her social media had claimed she had been abducted.
Her followers weren’t amused.
“Lying about being kidnapped for this? Ok,” wrote one commenter, while another wrote, “Lying about being kidnapped is some nasty work!!”
“Same man that kidnapped her? Real question,” asked a third, referencing the man in the photo.
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She has extended her apology to social-media site X.
“I just wanted to come on here one last time to sincerely apologize to anyone I may have harmed during this prank,” she wrote. “Not thinking things through comes with consequences, and I’m paying for it now.”
She added: “I also apologize for how this situation reflects on me — I never intended to make any Black man or any country, especially Nigeria, look bad. If it came across that way, I’m truly sorry. I love Nigeria, I love my brother, father, and I love my people.”
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