An influencer allegedly stole a business owner’s goodies during VidCon, sparking outrage and a hunt to catch the culprit, who was caught on camera. The woman who has been accused of stealing subsequently lost her influencer accreditation, leaving her “humiliated.”
Taking to her TikTok page on July 3, Lexi Hensler posted footage of the moment a woman could be seen from afar, helping herself to some of her merchandise during VidCon, an annual convention for influencers, fans, executives, and online brands.
Lexi is the founder of Give Hugz, therapeutic weighted stuffed animals designed to provide comfort and relief from stress, anxiety, and depression.
“So, I got robbed this weekend,” Lexi started her video, which amassed nearly 37 million views. “My small mental health company got robbed.”
An influencer allegedly stole a business owner’s goodies during VidCon
The business owner went on to ask her 10.3 million followers to help her identify the offender caught red-handed not only stealing but inciting others to steal some of her adorable plushies.
“I need help finding her because I just wanna have a chat,” Lexi said.
The entrepreneur observed from the footage capturing the sneaky woman in action: “I know she’s an influencer because she’s wearing an influencer badge.
“And the expo hall was only open to influencers during this time.”
Lexi claimed that the influencer’s petty crime led to a total of six Hugz disappearing from her stand, which impacted her small business.
“I wanna have a chat, maybe send a bill,” Lexi concluded.
Viewers were quick to point to Louisa Melcher, a 25-year-old TikToker with 595,000 followers, who happened to be present at the conference earlier this month in Anaheim, California, USA.
Outrage and a hunt to catch the culprit, who was caught on camera, ensued
As a result, Louisa took to her own TikTok page to defend herself, saying in a video posted on July 4: “VidCon took away my creator pass that all influencers get this past weekend, and it was very public, very humiliating.”
However, she went on to clarify that the reason she had lost her accreditation, which set her apart from the crowd as a public figure, was unrelated to the incident that saw Lexi’s goods being stolen.
Louisa recalled feeling overwhelmed by VidCon, which was like a “zoo” where people seemingly harassed her for photographs.
“It got to the point where I would literally be like, ‘Do you follow me?’” the TikToker recalled.
She continued: “Like, ‘Can you take out your phone and show me that you follow me?’
“Half of them didn’t even follow me, so why do you want a picture of me on your phone?
“Why? So you can make fun of me?”
TikToker Louisa Melcher, who has been accused of stealing, lost her influencer accreditation at VidCon
A VidCon employee allegedly suggested Louisa should hand over her creator pass to partake in the event without having to act as an influencer.
“At that point, I had already gotten all the free stuff that you get for being a creator,” the content creator admitted.
Louisa wrote in her caption: “Ironic how they invited tons of mental health brands to come and sell products, and yet, it’s normalized to pester and badger influencers, even though it harms them psychologically.”
@lexihenslerI never thought this would happen♬ original sound – Lexi Hensler
Nevertheless, many people continued to criticize Louisa’s alleged offense, as a TikTok user questioned: “Why did bro steal from Lexi Hensler?”
A viewer commented: “Delululululululu.”
“It’s almost like Vid con is a place where people go to meet creators,” a person wrote.
Louisa mocked the allegations in a video shared on her TikTok page
A netizen noticed after reviewing the initial footage of the incident: “I love how she’s wearing the same romper.”
“This is Master Level gaslighting,” someone penned.
An observed added: “From this one vid alone; I know all I need to know.”
@lexihensler Replying to @miley123plz4 craziness😅 @GiveHugz ♬ original sound – Lexi Hensler
A separate individual chimed in: “What kind of explanation is this?”
Amid growing backlash, Louisa shared a follow-up video on TikTok on July 9, where she appeared to make light of the whole ordeal.
In the video, Louisa showed herself cuddling what appeared to be one of Lexi’s Hugz stuffed animals, “Eugene the Elephant,” in bed.
Louisa recalled feeling overwhelmed by VidCon, which was like a “zoo”
@loulouorange Ironic how they invited tons of mental health brands to come and sell products, and yet, it’s normalized to pester and badger influencers, even though it harms them psychologically #VidCon #vidcon2024 ♬ original sound – Louisa Melcher
The clip was accompanied by a caption that read: “Taking a self-care day bc hundreds of thousands of people in my comments are accusing me of stealing from a small business at VidCon.”
On Thursday (July 11), Lexi shared an update in a video on TikTok, in which she clarified that she not only did not know with certainty who the Vid con bandit was but that she also didn’t think Louisa was guilty.
“A lot of people think that it is a specific girl on TikTok,” Lexi said. “I will tell you right now, I do not think it’s her at all.”
She continued: “I think she is very smart, and I think she posted a video in a similar romper cause she knew it would do well.”
“Is this a marketing stunt?” a cybernaut wondered
