TikTok momfluencer Marlena turned her Target hauls into a headline-making hustle—allegedly scanning cheap barcodes to save big. But when her own TikTok videos helped police track her down, the drama unfolded faster than a self-checkout receipt! Don’t have time to read? Scroll down to watch the video!
Marlena, a 22-year-old TikTok mom with an impressive 450K followers, has taken “budget-friendly shopping” to a whole new—and allegedly illegal—level. Known for her “day in the life” clips, Target hauls, and those endlessly watchable “get ready with me” videos, Marlena has now added a surprising twist to her content: getting caught up in a shoplifting scandal.
Here’s how it all went down. Marlena started out like any other TikTok influencer, documenting her life, perfume routine, and Target trips. But behind the scenes, things allegedly weren’t as picture-perfect as her posts. During one shopping spree, she reportedly scanned a cheaper barcode instead of the actual items in her cart, giving herself a $500 “discount” at self-checkout. She posted her Target haul like nothing happened, basking in the glow of influencer life.
But Marlena didn’t stop there. A few weeks later, she returned to the same Target with her boyfriend and kids, ready for round two. Allegedly, she pulled the same trick, racking up another $225 worth of goods while paying pennies on the dollar. With no alarms or employees stopping her, she likely thought she was in the clear.
Unfortunately for Marlena, Target has a sharp loss prevention team—and they’ve seen it all. Cameras at the self-checkouts captured her little “barcode swap,” and when employees reviewed the footage, they handed it straight to the police. The authorities, unsure who she was, posted her image on social media asking for help.
It didn’t take long for someone to recognize her and share her TikTok handle. With that, the police pieced together everything they needed. Her “get ready with me” video from the day of the alleged theft? Same outfit. Same glasses. Case closed. Marlena was arrested and charged with petty theft.
You’d think that would be the end of her sticky-fingered saga, but no. Marlena doubled down, hopping back on TikTok with a “get ready with me to talk about the elephant in the room” video. She didn’t address the allegations directly, but she did hang her mugshot in the background. Subtle, right?
But Target wasn’t done either. Their loss prevention team uncovered footage from her second trip and handed it over to the cops, leading to Marlena’s second arrest in as many weeks. This time, they didn’t need social media sleuths—they knew exactly where to find her.
While petty theft charges might not seem like a big deal, Marlena has a track record. A previous Walmart shoplifting charge in 2023 and a 2019 arrest for stealing a friend’s car suggest this isn’t her first run-in with the law. And since this is all happening in Florida, three misdemeanors could stack up to a felony, meaning Marlena might be looking at much more than a slap on the wrist.
Moral of the story? If you’re going to scam self-checkout, maybe don’t make it part of your personal brand. Or better yet, skip the scams altogether—because as Marlena’s story shows, social media fame and shoplifting don’t mix.