Luxury Watch Dealer and Influencer Arrested in Case of False Impersonation

A popular luxury watch influencer and dealer is warning everyone about falling victim to scams by impersonators.

Tyler Vookum, who sells luxury watches in New York City and has more than 3.3 million followers across various social media platforms, took to his YouTube channel to share the harrowing story that resulted in him spending three days in jail after he claims someone impersonated him and scammed a customer out of $6,000.

Men's Journal reached out to Vookum for comment, but hasn't heard back.

How Did Tyler Vookum End Up in Jail for 3 Days?

Vookum, as he's known in the luxury watches world, shared that he was arrested on March 1 at approximately 7:55 a.m. at Newark airport in New Jersey. He was with his girlfriend and her family on their way to the Bahamas. But the trip never happened. Instead, Vookum claims officers boarded the flight and arrested him.

In his 41-minute video addressing the arrest (the video's titled "i was wrongfully arrested and spent 3 days in jail"), Vookum says he was confused about the ordeal, and that nearly an hour passed before he found out why he was being arrested.

"So [the cop] comes up to me and he's like, 'Yeah, so the reason you have been arrested is because you have a grand larceny charge in the state of Florida for over $5,000 and under $10,000," Vookum says in his video.

Vookum said he was still confused about the ordeal, but didn't panic because he figured it would all get sorted out.

"I'm mad comfortable because I'm like, 'Oh, they're gonna clear this up because obviously there's scammers impersonating me on Facebook and Telegram,'" he says.

But that didn't happen.

At approximately 9 p.m., Vookum says he was transferred to Essex County Correctional Facility in Newark. After his mugshot was taken and he was processed for fingerprints, Vookum says he was eventually admitted into the general population.

Tyler Vookum Says His Lawyer Told Him Everything

He later spoke to his lawyer and found out that a warrant had been out for his arrest since November 25. He claims he became a fugitive the minute he tried boarding a flight out of the country.

Vookum says his lawyer told him three parties were at fault: the would-be customer who trusted Vookum was selling a luxury watch on Facebook Marketplace (Vookum says he never does that, and warns customers never to trust someone pretending to be him on the platform), the Florida detective who "clearly didn't do much homework," and the judge "who again clearly didn't do much research and just put a warrant out for my arrest."

As Vookum tells it, someone was "dumb enough to see a watch probably 50 percent off what it should have been and believed it and sent the money and never got a product," again, which I tell everybody, don't [do] business on Facebook Marketplace."

Watch Out For Scammers

On his verified Instagram and TikTok accounts, Vookum clearly states in his bio to watch out for scams and reminds customers that he does not sell watches on Facebook or Telegram. He also lists a phone number customers can call to confirm deals.

As word of his arrest spread, other luxury watch influencers took to social media to defend Vookum and warn their followers not to fall prey to scammers.

Mike Nouveau, a vintage watch specialist, shared Vookum's experience, while adding that people have reached out to him saying they've seen others impersonating him.

Kerri Lavine, dubbed The Godmother of Diamonds, also shared a video of her embracing Vookum shortly after his arrest, while imploring potential customers to always verify who you're planning to send thousands of dollars for a luxury watch.

"Trust and reputation mean everything in the jewelry world," she captioned her post. "Recently, fake social media accounts have been impersonating jewelers on 47th Street and scamming people. Please take a moment to verify who you're speaking with before sending payments or personal information. Protect yourself and always deal with authentic sources."

On a Lighter Note (Thanks to Birkenstock) ...

Vookum shared lots of details of his experience in jail, from being crammed in a cell with other inmates to "mattress duty."

But one funny story he told was about his Birkenstocks, which Vookum was wearing because, as he stated, he was on his way to the Bahamas. While being processed out of jail, Vookum says one massive inmate complimented his Birkenstocks.

"One of the inmates was like, 'Yo, I f--k with those shoes, cuz,'" Vookum shared. "I was like, 'Yo, thanks.' He's like, 'Yo, where you get those at?' I was like, 'Yeah, they're Birkenstocks.' He goes, 'Oh, s--t, Birkin makes slippers?!' I was like, 'Nah, it's a brand called Birkenstock.' He's like, 'Ah, those s--ts are hard.' All the other inmates were like, 'Yo, those s--ts are crazy.' One of them goes, 'Yo, they make them s--ts in pink?' I'm like, 'I don't think so.' They all start laughing."