• A resident of the Somme wanted to approve the world record for the number of videos posted on TikTok.
  • To validate his record, he donated more than 5,000 euros to an organization he thought was the Guinness World Records.
  • Realizing his mistake too late, he tried in vain to get reimbursed and accuses the organization of fraud.

His dream of glory turns into a nightmare. This is the story of Mickael M., a forty-year-old from Péronne, in the Somme, convinced that he holds the world record that would change his life. In search of fame, both on the networks and by skimming the castings, Mickael hoped that a diploma stamped Guinness World Records would help him open doors that remained desperately closed to him. Except that in spite of himself, he bet all his savings on the wrong horse.

Persevering, it has been years that Mickael regularly presents himself to castings without ever landing the role of his life. After a while, he still thought he was going to try another approach. "To get attention, I had to do something balèze, that's how I thought of a world record. Quite simply," he recalls. And since he frantically posts videos on TikTok, it was a friend who suggested he go in this direction. "I have about 12,000 videos on my page. No matter how much I looked at the accounts of highly followed influencers, no one had as many as me," he says.

"In my head, there was only Guinness"

Mickael therefore undertakes to contact the Guinness to enter history as the record holder of the posting of videos on the Chinese social network. So he types "world record" on the Internet and clicks on the first link that appears. It is this click that will change everything, but not in a good way. "In my head, there was only Guinness, so I didn't ask myself any questions," he admits. But instead of arriving on the site of the famous Guinness Book, Mickael finds himself on that of the Official World Record (OWR), a kind of competitor of the prestigious institution.



To organize the homologation of his record, Mickael must bring three judges from the OWR to Lille. Between transport costs, hotel and miscellaneous expenses, he is claimed 5,200 euros. "I knew it was going to cost money, but I considered it an investment," says the forty-year-old. Unemployed, he saves money by quitting smoking, tightening his belt and borrowing from friends. In a few months, he managed to raise the sum, which he paid to the OWR in five bank transfers. The last one took place on February 18. "The next day, I realized that I had confused this site with the real Guinness," admits Mickael. So I asked for a refund. »

Guinness is free or almost free

Of the 5,200 euros, he recovers only 1,200 euros, the organization explaining to him that a contract binds them and that costs have been incurred. The forty-year-old invokes his European right to withdrawal and has filed a complaint for "fraud". Contacted by 20 Minutes, the DGCCRF is a little puzzled. "If there is a beginning of the execution of the service but not all the service has been rendered, he will remain accountable for what has already been done by the organization," we are told. And if the OWR does not want to hear anything and the conditions for withdrawal are not met, it remains only two solutions: "Either an amicable agreement, or a court decision that breaks the contract," says the DGCCRF. And for this last point, it is not enough to say "oupsi, I confused". Mickael will have to prove that the OWR has maintained the confusion with the Guinness, which is not the case.

Especially since, contacted by 20 Minutes, the "real" Guinness, ensures that its record approvals can be free. "It's free to apply for a Guinness World Records title. If you want a new title opened, there will be an application fee of £5," we are told. It is up to the applicant to pay a bailiff to ensure the conformity of the record or, if he wishes, to request the presence of an official judge. But in this case, the rate is no longer the same, negotiated directly with the Guinness consulting service.

  • Did you see?
  • Guinness Book of Records
  • Record
  • Scam
  • Fraud
  • Hauts-de-France
  • Picardy