Police say that a 22-year-old social media influencer with over 300,000 followers on TikTok was arrested for stealing from Target using fake barcodes and filming her getting ready.
Cape Coral Police Department, Florida, responded last Wednesday to the Target store located at 1890 Pine Island Road NE in Cape Coral regarding a previous retail theft that occurred on October 30.
Loss Prevention at Target reported that an unknown female entered Target on October 30th, 2024, and chose items for sale,” said police. The female suspect, when she reached the self-checkout, did not scan the barcodes of the products, but instead scanned a false barcode that had cheaper prices.
The officers verified that 16 different items of clothing and household goods with a retail value totaling $500.32 were stolen. This was confirmed by the Target security cameras.
Cape Coral Police Department posted a picture of the female suspect on its Facebook and Instagram pages. The account described her as “approximately between 20 and 35 years old with long black hair and wearing tan trousers, a tan top, and glasses.”
An anonymous caller who had seen the post on social networks contacted the police, identifying the suspect as Marlena Veez and informing them of her social networking profiles.
Police said that officers found Marlena’s TikTok profile, which showed her getting dressed on October 30, 2024, in the same outfit with glasses, and heading to Target. “Marlena documents her picking up items in the store and putting them in her vehicle after leaving the store,” police said. Marlena seems to be a content producer with nearly 300,000 fans.”
Velez was arrested in Lee County Jail and has been charged with petit theft of less than $700.
The investigation is ongoing.
