February 10, 2026
Bin there, conned that
"Hate brings views": Confessions of a London fake news TikToker
Londoners furious, commenters divided: baited by clicks, burned by lies
TLDR: A London TikToker admitted faking anti-immigrant house tours to chase views and cash, prompting Sadiq Khan to warn of a dangerous trend. Comments split between calls to curb anonymous misinformation and fears of censorship, with many shrugging: we got baited—it's mostly about money, not politics.
Internet sleuths basically did CSI: Wheelie Bin and outed a TikToker who faked anti‑immigrant house tours across London—then he confessed the blunt motive: “Hate brings views.” The videos, posted under Reform_UK_2025 with an AI voice, smeared residents for shock value and racked up millions. Sadiq Khan called the trend “dangerous and divisive,” while readers debated whether this is politics or pure clout chasing. One jaw‑dropper: the creator says a TikTok payout turned his head—cue finance‑minded commenters asking, “Wait, how much for 24K followers?” and memeing the saga as “binfluencer economics.”
The comments are the real show. Some, like [unethical_ban], wrestled with the anonymity vs accountability dilemma—free speech versus impunity for viral lies. [wiseowise] delivered the catchphrase of the day: “You’ve been baited,” framing the whole thing as rage‑bait that everyone fell for. Global angles popped up too: [vivzkestrel] flagged anti‑India pile‑ons on X, wondering if it’s state‑run hate campaigns. Meanwhile, [matthewmacleod] lives in London and says the “London has fallen” trope feels manipulated—but maybe it’s just for the views. And the corporate subplot? Investigators traced the account to a north London estate agency; the director wouldn’t name the culprit, cue eye‑rolls at the “one rogue contractor” defense. The vibe: scandal, cynicism, and relentless jokes—plus a lingering question about who actually profits when hate goes viral.
Key Points
- •A TikTok account, Reform_UK_2025, posted fabricated anti-immigrant videos set in London to drive views and monetization.
- •London Centric traced the anonymous account to a north London estate agency using geolocation of wheelie bins in the videos.
- •The account misused Reform UK’s branding without permission and falsely claimed luxury homes were given to illegal immigrants.
- •The account operator confessed the content was created for clicks, noting far-right audiences were highly engaged.
- •Mayor Sadiq Khan called the trend of algorithm-driven hate content targeting London “dangerous and divisive.”