What to Know
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NYC Instagram model Natasha Aponte convinced dozens of men to meet her simultaneously in Union Square on Sunday in a massive Tinder scam.[hhmc]
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Once there, Aponte had the men compete for a chance to go on an actual date with her.[hhmc]
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Twitter user @bvdhai detailed his experience as a victim of the scam in a thread that has since gone viral.[hhmc]
Although she wasnt handing out any roses, one woman in NYC managed to trick dozens of men into competing for a chance to date her in a stunt that became her very own version of “The Bachelorette.”
According to Gothamist, dozens of men arrived at Union Square on Sunday evening expecting to go on a fairly normal date with Instagram model Natasha Aponte, only to discover that they were all being strung along by the same woman.
The stunt went viral when Twitter user @bvdhai posted a thread detailing his own experience with the massive Tinder scam.
I am about to tell you an epic tale about subterfuge, dating in the 21st century and the fall of human civilization. This actually happened to me and it could happen to you too. Get some popcorn. *Thread*
— миша (@bvdhai) August 19, 2018
According to @bvdhai, everything had started out fairly normal when he first matched with Aponte on Tinder. The two made small talk and soon exchanged numbers.
Aponte ended their conversation by saying that she was busy with a work presentation, assuring @bvdhai that she would reach back out to him when she had more free time.
The concept of being ghosted is common in the land of dating apps, so @bvdhai figured that Aponte had just made up an elaborate excuse to stop talking and that he would never hear from her again.
Much to his surprise, Aponte contacted him two weeks later, inviting him to check out a DJ with her near Union Square.
It wasnt until he arrived at Union Square and noticed a large crowd of men loitering by the DJs stage that he started to think something weird was going on.
When Aponte took to the stage herself with a microphone, his fears were confirmed.
“Then she says Ive invited you all here for a chance to go on a date with me and proceeds to give a hunger games speech about what its gonna take to date her,” @bvdhai tweeted.
Then she says I've invited you all here for a chance to go on a date with me and proceeds to give a hunger games speech about what its gonna take to date her
— миша (@bvdhai) August 19, 2018
Even though @bvdhai praised Apontes “fallopian fortitude” at pulling off the scam, he wasnt quite ready to volunteer as tribute. He chose to leave instead.
Many of Aponte's victims were offended by the scam, walking away from the scene without a second look or yelling out profanities at the woman who had misled them.
Several other men, however, did decide to play along with Apontes game.
The scene pic.twitter.com/U0ROAWKDQc
— миша (@bvdhai) August 19, 2018
According to NY Mag, Aponte quickly went to work cutting down her pool of suitors by asking those with certain characteristics to leave, including anyone who supported Trump, was looking for just a hookup, or had a beer belly.
As the crowd thinned, Aponte asked the remaining men to participate in physical tests like push-ups and sprints. She also allowed the men to give 1-minute pitches as to why she should date them.
According to reddit user UncleChen69, the 22-year-old Aponte was joined by two women dressed as referees to help monitor the competition.
Many men left the park with bruised egos and newfound trust issues that night.
Aponte has received a notable amount of backlash online for her actions, both from men who were victims of the scam as well as outside observers.
She has since changed her Instagram account to private.
At this time, its unclear whether Aponte picked out a winning man for her date.
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NBC
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