A popular social media account is being accused of filming scripted videos and then passing them off as real ones. A Target customer heard two people repeating their lines while filming multiple takes.
TikToker Steph (@stephs.studios) was shopping at Target when she came across a content creator who was making a video for Paul and friends where the footage later surfaced, amid a series of clips showing strangers being ‘blessed’ with money.
Suspecting something was amiss, Steph noticed the man filming the woman with a phone holder on his chest. Upon closer inspection, she realized the conversation had been pre-recorded, as the woman repeated her sentences multiple times and the man asked for retakes.
“I started listening more closely, to see what they were filming, and then I realized it was some kind of script,” Steph said.
She added that the woman had repeatedly said she had never received such a “blessing” before.
An influencer has been exposed for filming scripted videos of himself ‘blessing’ random Target customers with money after a customer caught them doing multiple takes
A TikToker named Steph (@stephs.studios) was shopping at Target when she came across influencer Paul Vu, who was staging a video for his content
“I kept hearing the girl say the same thing,” she said.
To unmask the duo, Steph discreetly recorded their interaction by placing her phone in the cup holder of a shopping cart.
Her footage showed part of the couple’s performance, with the man counting down with his fingers, signaling the woman to begin her lines.
At one point, the woman’s facade cracks and she bursts out laughing, apparently in response to Steph’s statements about “liars.”
Despite the interruption, the couple quickly resume their act as Steph walks away.
Steph’s viral video has been viewed more than 841,200 times and has collected 125,000 likes.
“It really made me angry because I love that kind of content. And I’m not saying the content is always scripted, but these people were friends,” she said.
With the help of her followers, Steph was sent the video on TikTok by Paul Vu and Friends – a platform based on helping others in need and inspiring viewers to take charitable actions. It has 1.4 million followers and over 14 million likes.
Readers reacted with disappointment, reminding others to be careful when choosing what to believe on social media.
Suspecting something was amiss, Steph noticed the man filming the woman with a phone holder on his chest. Upon closer inspection, she realized the conversation had been pre-recorded, as the woman repeated lines multiple times and asked the man for retakes
Someone said, “Because they don’t actually give the money away. I’m always suspicious of ‘good deeds’ done on film.”
Another added: ‘Okay but this is investigative journalism level documentation lol like the ‘hidden’ camera footage and everything lmao this was awesome.’
A third wrote: ‘The fact that they did so many takes so it still looked staged.’
A fourth wrote: ‘Nothing is authentic anymore.’
Steph later posted an update saying she had identified the video, which was posted on a creator’s account
Since then, viewers have flocked to Paul and Friend’s account, commenting on the posted video and joking about seeing the raw behind-the-scenes footage.
He wrote in the passage: ‘The good deeds of a kind stranger result in blessings.’
“It’s so weird watching them rehearse,” someone said.
“You can’t trust anyone these days…” wrote someone else.
“And snip! That’s it, folks,” said another.