L.A. influencers post everything. It can make them 'easy marks'

Staff Writer

Published Aug. 22, 2024 Updated Aug. 23, 2024 2:07 PM PT

Victoria Paris was in Europe, and everybody who watched her videos on Instagram and TikTok knew it.

The 25-year-old social media influencer, who posts about design and style as well as tidbits from her daily life, has more than 400,000 followers on Instagram and nearly 2 million on TikTok.

On May 5, while she was away, her Silver Lake home was burglarized. Security cameras caught a man breaking in and leaving with designer purses and jewelry. He took a Louis Vuitton duffel bag, two Paco Rabanne bags, a Miu Miu bag, a laptop and all of Paris’ jewelry, she reported to police.

What helped her earn her livelihood — sharing her life online — had also made her a target. She’d previously posted photos and videos in her backyard, with a clear view of her neighborhood. Her car in the driveway was recognizable. She showed off purchases from fancy designers.

Social influencer Victoria Paris sits in jeans and a striped shirt in front of a brick wall.

The day after the burglary, Paris saw via her security video that the same man was lurking around her home. She decided she had to move — and keep her whereabouts more private.

“We’re not the biggest victims, but we put everything in our lives on the internet, which makes us the easiest targets,” Paris said in an interview with The Times.

Although the Los Angeles Police Department does not track crimes against influencers, burglaries overall have ticked up in 2024. According to police statistics, burglaries are up about 3.3% citywide, with 305 more cases than during the same span last year.

Social media influencers are a thriving part of the L.A. culture economy. And Paris is among those who have been targeted in a rash of burglaries and robberies over the last few years after posting their locations and high-end goods online.

Kent Moyer, CEO of World Protection Group, which provides security services for celebrities and wealthy people, said his firm has noticed an uptick in burglaries, robberies and home invasions of social media influencers.

“They’re easy marks,” he said.

Moyer said influencers are some of his most difficult clients because of their desire to constantly post information about themselves.

Unless the burglars are caught, it’s impossible to know whether they targeted the homes because of online content. But in some parts of the L.A. influencer community, there is a belief that their work is making them vulnerable.

But as targets, they are not alone: A variety of other celebrities are among those who have been the victims of robberies and burglaries because of their social media posts — sometimes with much more violent encounters.

The rapper Pop Smoke was killed after he posted a photo of an Amiri designer bag on Instagram that accidentally revealed the address of the rental house where he was staying. Similarly, rapper PnB Rock was targeted for his jewelry and killed at a South Los Angeles Roscoe’s House of Chicken and Waffles after posting his location on Instagram.

Other higher-profile celebrities have reported break-ins at their homes, including singers Ariana Grande, Chris Brown and Taylor Swift.

Targeting celebrities who are away from home is not a new concept — it’s just been rejiggered for the social media era. When the so-called Bling Ring struck the homes of Paris Hilton and Lindsay Lohan more than a decade ago, they used websites such as TMZ to determine where their targets were at the time.

The Times reported that the ring “studied television shows, celebrity magazines and websites — picking out clothing and jewelry they wanted. Then they figured out where the celebrities lived and, after casing the homes, broke in and took what they wanted.”

No arrests have been made in Paris’ case, so it’s unclear how the burglars came to target her home. She said she’s turned over evidence, including security camera video, to the police.

LAPD officials did not immediately respond to a request for comment about the case.

The burglary at her home closely resembled one that targeted Emily Oberg, an influencer who runs Sporty & Rich, a clothing and beauty brand.

Oberg, who divides her time between L.A. and Paris, was out of town on June 3, 2023, when a burglar broke into her Beverly Hills guesthouse and made off with designer jackets and shoes, Chanel and Hermes bags, jewelry, furniture and more. The value of the stolen items was more than $140,000, she said.

“I think it’s easy because we post where we are and when we’re away and all the things we own,” said Oberg, 30. “It’s not very smart, but you have to kind of just live your life. I’m definitely more careful now.”

Oberg said that while she was upset about the break-in, she was grateful she wasn’t at home at the time.

“It’s unfortunate, but it does happen,” she said. “I wouldn’t feel bad for the influencers because we are posting these things and documenting our every move. It’s just the world we live in.”

In Oberg’s case, a suspect was arrested and spent seven months in jail after reaching a plea agreement.

Joey Zauzig, an influencer and reality television personality who starred in MTV’s “Real Friends of WeHo,” was home when thieves broke into his house April 8.

Joey Zauzig poses for a portrait with trees and sky in the background.

Zauzig had returned early from a trip to Cabo San Lucas, Mexico. He had publicly said when he was getting back to Los Angeles, but he cut his trip short by a day and did not post about it. Instead, he posted a video that made it appear he was still in Mexico.

That night, a noise downstairs woke him up.

“I decided to check the cameras,” Zauzig said. “I saw there were three guys with what looked like guns in their hands, and I think my first reaction was to go to the top of the stairs. I yelled, ‘Get the f— out!’ ”

Zauzig called 911, woke his fiancé, and the two snuck out a sliding door onto a balcony of the home in the Hollywood Hills above Chateau Marmont. The would-be robbers left without taking anything, but the incident shook Zauzig.

“My content is very positive and uplifting. You don’t think there are people trying to take you down, but I guess when thousands of people watch your lives and content, there are also people trying to target you,” Zauzig said. “They clearly targeted me.”

No arrests have been made in Zauzig’s case.

But, he said, he has learned some key influencer rules from the experience.

“Be safe. Don’t be flouting what you have. Don’t show certain parts of your house. Be smart about what you’re posting,” he said. “I would never do a home tour. ... I used to share in the moment. Now I think I’m a little more mindful about posting. I post later, and I don’t post when I’m away.”

Zauzig said he doesn’t even have much worth stealing in his house, but videos he’s posted show his large closet filled with shoes, and he thinks that might have piqued the thieves’ interest.

“Whether true or perceived, these people appear to the criminals as having something worth stealing,” said Paul Vernon, a retired LAPD captain who ran the department’s statistics division. “People unknowingly put way too much info about themselves publicly that makes it very easy for perfect strangers to find them.”

Times staff writer Libor Jany contributed to this report.