Influencers allegedly scammed out of Coachella VIP tickets

A viral video blowing up on-line is exposing a messy internet of alleged ticket fraud involving influencers — and the web is totally loving the drama.

The glitter and glamour of Coachella weekend one have been overshadowed by a high-stakes “scam” involving a gaggle of high-profile influencers, 1000’s of {dollars} in lacking money and allegations of theft.

The drama, which has set TikTok ablaze, facilities on a gaggle of influencers who declare they had been fleeced by their very own “friends” in a messy battle over the competition’s most coveted accent: the Artist Pass — ultra-exclusive credentials sometimes reserved for performers and their internal circles.

The controversy started when Aioni Cobia took to TikTok alongside her pal, Mia LoCastro, to name out fellow creators Chloe Rosenbaum, her boyfriend Ryan Manick, Keston Wolf and Parys Townsend — claiming they duped her out of competition bands.

The video, which was posted just a few days in the past, has already amassed over 5 million views, and has been broadly re-posted and mentioned all through varied corners of the web.

According to Cobia and LoCastro, they had been half of a big group chat organized by Rosenbaum to safe discounted tickets via a “connection.”

The influencers reportedly shelled out $2,700 every for “Artist” wristbands — the gold normal of Coachella entry that gives stage-side views and golf cart transport. Meanwhile, Manik and others within the group opted for the cheaper $1,200 VIP passes.

But when the competition started final Friday, the Coachella dream weekend was a desert nightmare. Rosenbaum allegedly advised the group that they’d been scammed by the third get together vendor, who she had initially vouched for, and that now no bands had been obtainable.

Already on the grounds, Cobia and LoCastro spent 1000’s of {dollars} extra on alternative tickets to get in to the competition. When they received again to LA on Monday, the plot thickened. Cobia texted the shady vendor who she had paid for the passes and demanded a refund, solely to be advised that he had dropped off stated passes for Saturday and Sunday and had given them to Rosenbaum and her “group.”

Allegedly, solely Rosenbaum had truly shelled out practically $3k for the passes.

“They stole our artist bracelets,” Cobia claimed within the viral video, declaring that whereas folks like Manik solely paid for VIP, he was all of the sudden seen backstage with the extra unique green-tagged Artist cross with a decrease case “a” on them.

Now, the scandal is spilling onto Reddit — the place customers are tearing into everybody concerned.

On a thread in the r/LAinfluencersnark subreddit, commenters claimed the alleged scammers had been “known” for shady conduct, with one consumer warning, “Ryan Manick is a known scammer” and questioning why anybody would belief him within the first place.  

Rosenbaum ultimately broke her silence, calling the state of affairs a “mix-up” and labeling the general public outcry “childish.” She has since acquired hundred of feedback on her Instagram from folks calling her a thief and a scammer.

She maintained that she was additionally a sufferer of the rip-off and claimed everybody ultimately received into the competition, so it “wasn’t that deep.”

As it stands, Cobia and LoCastro declare to have acquired solely a partial refund.

While the ferris wheel has stopped spinning for Coachella 2026, the social media circus is simply getting began.