Popular YouTuber MrBeast has embarked on a mission to locate an 8-year-old fan who fell victim to a prank orchestrated by two individuals pretending to be affiliated with him.
The incident occurred when Gabe Lyles and his father were shopping at a Target store in Connecticut over the weekend.
According to local outlet WFSB, two men approached them and falsely claimed to be associated with MrBeast and invited Gabe and his father to participate in a video for his channel.
TJ Lyles, Gabe's father, recounted the encounter to WFSB, stating that the men proposed a "fill-a-cart challenge".
The challenge involved the participants being blindfolded, with the objective of filling their shopping cart with items within a 30-second timeframe. The imposters assured the father and son that they would cover the expenses of whatever they managed to place in the cart.
Given MrBeast's reputation for conducting giveaways in his videos, TJ and Gabe agreed to participate, believing the proposal to be genuine. TJ even informed his son that he may have been chosen due to his hearing impairment, as relayed by WFSB.
However, once blindfolded, TJ and Gabe realised that the two men had made off with their cart, leaving them deceived and disheartened.
"It broke my heart because I thought my dreams were coming true," expressed Gabe, sharing his disappointment with WFSB.
In an effort to rectify the situation, MrBeast has taken it upon himself to locate the young fan. In response to a Twitter post detailing the cruel prank, the YouTube star wrote, "Give me his info!!" Within an hour, multiple individuals had already responded to MrBeast, providing links to TJ's Facebook profile.
Give me his info!!
— MrBeast (@MrBeast) July 5, 2023
Prior to MrBeast's involvement, the Commission for Persons with Disabilities in Gabe's town had already presented him with a $200 Target gift card. The store also matched the gift card, affording Gabe the opportunity to finally experience the shopping spree he had wanted.
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