She cooks lobster and gets her welfare cut: a million people trapped by a video
The topic has angered many internet users. On July 4, a video posted on the social network TikTok told the story of a woman who was allegedly deprived of RSA (Responsible Income Support) by the CAF (French Family Allowance Fund). The reason given? She allegedly filmed herself cooking lobster and posted the video on social media. CAF inspectors then came across it and deemed it incompatible with the right of an RSA recipient to buy lobster, given her income statement.
The video of the story quickly became widespread. "Reclist," the TikTok account that broke the story, garnered over 1.4 million views in just a few days. This is exceptional visibility for this page, which usually garners around 100,000 to 200,000 views.
A video with only illustrative images, an AI-generated voice, typos in the text, an alleged voice recording of a certain Nadine from Toulouse, and no coverage of the case in the press... All these elements should give rise to questions. This is not the case for many TikTok users who have dived in without batting an eyelid, but this is absolutely not the case.
Because this story is nothing more than a massive hoax. False information knowingly published by "Reclist"... since that's the account's trademark. "Fake news - gossip - rumors" is written in the description, and only 46,000 people follow this page, with its logo hijacked from CNews. Its slogan: "On TKT channel 16 (don't worry, editor's note)." The account's most-viewed video, with 3.8 million views, opens with an artificial intelligence-generated sequence in which a supposedly Frenchman destroys a giant screen in Times Square, New York, then explains that the man was imprisoned at Fox River Prison, one of the fake penitentiary establishments in the legendary series Prison Break.
So Reclist isn't taking Internet users by surprise. You still need to do your research. The comments are rife with messages. "I don't understand, does this mean that with RSA, you can only drink tap water and eat pasta with butter?" asks one subscriber. Another finds this "normal." No one seems to question the veracity of the information.
What about the "real" CAF checks? It should be noted that it is fully authorized to monitor the lifestyle of beneficiaries to ensure that it is not wrongfully paying social benefits. And the evidence collected on social media is completely legal! Questioned by Linternaute.com, the CAF was nevertheless very clear on this subject: "images posted on social media and other publicly accessible online sources are not sufficient evidence to trigger an inspection, and therefore a sanction. However, they can confirm a thorough investigation conducted by the inspectors." The body warns: "generally speaking, we strongly encourage the public not to relay information about benefits," especially when it comes from unverified sources or obscure accounts...
L'Internaute
