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8 influencers who were robbed after flaunting their wealth on Instagram, from Hong Kong’s So Mei-yan and Holland’s Nikkie de Jager to cryptocurrency trader Kieren Hamilton

Influencers like Nikkie de Jager, Kim Kardashian, Jake Paul and Kieren Hamilton enjoy flaunting their wealth on Instagram ... but some have ended up targeted by thieves. Photos: @nikkietutorials; @kimkardashian; @rkoi; @whosthatguru/Instagram

Insta-bragging – posting self-congratulatory photos on Instagram with the sole intention of inspiring jealousy – doesn’t just create envy and adoration among followers, but is increasingly leading to more sinister outcomes than many had bargained for.

In fact, there’s an increasing number of bitcoin traders and Insta-influencers attracting thieves and criminal gangs online, with experts suggesting around eight per cent of people could be targeted by criminals due to what they share on social media.

By flaunting their wealth on Instagram, influencers not only attract fans, but also make themselves vulnerable. Photo: @dilettaleotta/Instagram

Photos make it much easier for criminals to pick out loot or find entry points into people’s homes, for one.

Jake Paul’s career has catapulted from his early days on Vine to now having a net worth of US$30 million – and he’s not afraid to show it. Photo: @rkoi/Instagram
Accounts like Rich Kids of Instagram are a one-stop shop for such thieves, who can easily browse content from influencers around the globe, picking and choosing their targets. With wealthy socialites’ feeds dotted with pictures of luxury cars, expensive handbags and multiple homes, they act as a neat inventory for those planning to steal from them.

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Eleonora Incardona, Milan

Eleonora Incardona ended up being targeted by thieves while she was out of the house. Photo: @eleonoraincardona/Instagram

This Italian social media star has amassed 505,000 Instagram followers and frequently posts her modelling shoots and travel photos to her account.

But it seems that a group of four based in Milan known as “the acrobat thieves” were watching more carefully than most, and decided to make her their target. The modus operandi of the gang is to inspect photos posted on Instagram in detail to figure out how to access the homes of wealthy people and what exactly is up for grabs.

Eleonora Incardona’s pet chihuahua Oliver frequently makes appearances on her Instagram feed – as do her outings to the pool, gym and other glamorous locations. Photo: @eleonoraincardona/Instagram

Then, last December, they watched as Incardona left her flat building. She made another Instagram video announcing that everyone, including her pet Chihuahua Oliver, had left her home. The gang knew for a fact the coast was clear and, true to their moniker, surmounted the walls in a flash and made off with Chanel and Louis Vuitton handbags (nine in total) and several pieces of expensive jewellery and clothing. They were arrested in February and police have luckily managed to retrieve most of Incardona’s belongings.

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Kieren Hamilton, Manchester

Kieren Hamilton was attacked at his house in Greater Manchester while his baby was at home. Photo: @whosthatguru/Instagram

Being a cryptocurrency trader can really pay off, which it seemed to for Kieren Hamilton from Manchester, UK, who routinely posted photos of himself on luxury holidays, in nightclubs and on shopping sprees. However, things took a dark turn when the 21-year-old was attacked by two machete-wielding thieves in the early hours of January 5, 2018, while his baby daughter lay screaming in her cot.

Before stabbing him in the arm, the attackers managed to gather several of his gold bracelets, his gold wedding ring, an Apple MacBook laptop and even his US$1,400 French bulldog Rambo.

Aged just 21, Kieren Hamilton has earned huge sums of money from cryptocurrency – and tells the world about it too. Photo: @whosthatguru/Instagram

According to The Sun, Hamilton said, “They tried to stab me about 40 times, but most of them didn’t pierce, I have just got scratches on my arm. I didn’t really have time to be scared. It was fight or flight.” He continued, “They couldn’t get what they wanted from me, so they stole my dog, and tried to get one up on me to hurt me that way.”

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Giulia Diletta Leotta, Milan

The thieves responsible for ransacking Giulia Diletta Leotta’s flat were arrested in June 2020. Photo: @dilettaleotta/Instagram

Giulia Diletta Leotta is an Italian television presenter from Sicily who presents the Serie A broadcasts for sports streaming service DAZN. She too was targeted by the acrobat thieves, who are notorious for targeting well-known Italians in Milan.

Giulia Diletta Leotta is in fact the former sister-in-law of Eleonora Incardona, who was also robbed by the acrobat thieves. Photo: @dilettaleotta/Instagram

The theft took place in 2020 when the 28-year-old was dining in a local restaurant, as her Insta stories made evident. The thieves entered her flat after forcing a trap door that gives access to the roof. They then descended to the balcony and entered through the window, taking valuables worth nearly US$180,000.

According to sports newspaper Mundo Deportivo, “eight watches, including Rolexes, several jewels and cash that she had in a safe” were all taken from the property. The video surveillance cameras filmed the entire sequence outside the building, and the Milan police eventually arrested the gang.

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So Mei-yan, Hong Kong

Thieves pushed past So Mei-yan’s nanny while she was home to steal her belongings. Photo: 蘇淼淼/Facebook

While some influencers didn’t have to face their wrongdoers head on, others weren’t so lucky. Hong Kong cosmetics influencer So Mei-yan and her six-month old baby were the target of one such terrifying robbery.

So Mei-yan occasionally posts photos of her six month old son. Photo: 蘇淼淼/Facebook

The daylight attack took place in 2020 at her flat in One West Kowloon, on Lai Chi Kok Road. The 25-year-old influencer and her child’s caretaker threatened with a knife, forced into a room and tied up.

Upon seeing one of the intruders touch her son, So begged them to take whatever they wanted, which in the end amounted to around US$1.29 million.

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According to India News HD, So recalled, “As the doorbell rang, the maid opened the door, and three men rushed into the unit. One of them returned and pulled my hair, asking where I put my money.”

The robbers managed quite the haul of luxury goods in the raid, including 10 handbags, seven watches, a laptop computer and two mobile phones. Once they fled the scene, So managed to free herself from her restraints and call the police.

Achraf Hakimi, Milan

Achraf Hakimi originally hails from Morocco, and lost several watches when thieves saw their opportunity. Photo: @achrafhakimi/Instagram

In November 2020, the flat of Moroccan footballer Achraf Hakimi was broken into by none other than the infamous acrobat thieves. Hakimi, who transferred to Inter Milan from Real Madrid in September, had been living in temporary accommodation at the time of the theft.

Achraf Hakimi has an estimated net worth of US$1.4 million (1.2 million euros) thanks to his footballing skills. Photo: @achrafhakimi/Instagram

They used Instagram to track his location and belongings, then stole several watches from the footballer.

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Troy “Candy” Williams, Gold Coast

Entrepreneur Troy Williams has been given the nickname “Candy” and “Candyman 2.0”. Photo: Troy Candy/Facebook

Gold Coast influencer Troy Williams, aka Candyman 2.0, had his car trashed by a gang of youths who then posted videos of their actions – and tagged him – on Instagram. The video shows the teens ransacking the turquoise Mercedes-AMG GLE 63 S Coupe, which retails for US$130,000.

Troy Williams had his Instagram used against him when youths trashed his Mercedes, filming it and then tagging him in the video. Photo: Troy Candy/Facebook

The Instagram star took matters into his own hands and asked his 165,000 followers to help him track the thieves down. In a later Instagram post, he then thanked them for helping him obtain the thieves’ names and addresses, and let them know he’d managed to retrieve most of the things stolen from his car.

Williams did not go to the police, but did have a word with the parents of the delinquents. “To see his mum break into tears, ask for help, told me her life story and they’re off the rails and she doesn’t know what to do – that was upsetting to see,” he said of the encounter, according to News Concerns.

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Nikkie de Jager, Uden

Nikkie de Jager often posts photos of herself enjoying lavish holidays. Photo: @nikkietutorials/Instagram

Nikkie de Jager, better known as NikkieTutorials on her YouTube make-up channel that has a whopping 13.8 million subscribers, went through a particularly traumatic incident.

Last December, she broke her silence about the robbery that took place at her house in Uden, the Netherlands, last summer during which herself and her husband were held at gunpoint.

“Today I got the news from the Dutch police that arrests were made in the case of my home robbery back in August,” she said, according to Insider. “I think most of you know about this, but back in August, Dylan and I were home, and we got robbed at gunpoint, and that was one of the scariest, most traumatising things to ever happen in my life.”

Nikkie de Jager has made a name for herself as one of the hottest beauty gurus on YouTube, but was robbed at gunpoint in August 2020. Photo: @nikkietutorials/Instagram

The beauty influencer did not reveal exact details of what was stolen since the case remains ongoing, but she has said losing her possessions is nothing compared to getting away with her life, adding: “Having one of those worst nightmares come true is very surreal, but it also puts a lot of things into perspective.”

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Kim Kardashian, Paris

Kim Kardashian experienced a traumatising robbery in Paris. Photo: @kimkardashian/Instagram
Kim Kardashian may be much more than a mere influencer these days, but the robbery she suffered at the hands of attackers in Paris remains one of the most highly publicised of all the crimes that has been blamed on social media.

Kardashian was in the City of Lights for Paris Fashion Week and had been documenting the fun she was having – as well as showing off her US$4 million, 20-carat Lorraine Schwartz ring – on Instagram. The social media-loving, paparazzi-friendly star was followed by a gaggle of street photographers throughout the trip, who kept abreast of her busy schedule through insider sources and social media.

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So much of Kim Kardashian’s life is shared on Instagram, French thieves decided to use it to their advantage. Photo: @kimkarashian/Instagram

Unfortunately, this made it easy enough to track her movements to the extent that five masked assailants were able to break into her room in the early morning, hold her at gunpoint, bind her hands and feet and lock her in the bathroom as they made off with US$10.6 million worth of jewellery.

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  • Kim Kardashian had millions of dollars worth of jewellery stolen during her trip to Paris Fashion Week, which she documented on Instagram while trailed by paparazzi
  • She isn’t the only one: Chanel and Louis Vuitton handbags were stolen from Eleonora Incardona’s home in Milan, while Kieren Hamilton lost an Apple MacBook and gold jewellery