On 22 May 2025, Dallas-based businesswoman and social media content creator Bilonda Alice Mukendi—known online as @beautybyalicedimplz—travelled from the United States to Cannes, France, to receive what she believed was a prestigious international award. She had been invited to the World Influencers and Bloggers Awards (WIBA), held during the Cannes Film Festival, and told her followers she had been selected as 'Best Content Creator'.
However, the trip quickly descended into confusion and disappointment. After missing her son's graduation in Texas to attend the ceremony, Mukendi said she was not called on stage during the official proceedings and later discovered that her email invitation may have been fraudulent. She was eventually given a trophy—but only after the event had ended and the room had emptied.
