A man who calls himself a “flirting coach” has been posting videos on social media for months, in which he addresses girls and women on the streets of Eindhoven, in the pub or at The Efteling. The women do not know they are being filmed and that the images are online, Omroep Brabant discovered.
The man himself remains out of the picture. Those portrayed are not happy with the attention: ‘I really don’t wish this to anyone, it’s something that just shouldn’t happen.’
The man, who speaks English and a little Dutch, has been active since November 2024, mainly on videos platform TikTok where he has more than 13,000 followers. His videos are viewed hundreds of thousands of times, one even has three million views.
The filmer uses special camera goggles. He films women he approaches in Eindhoven. The videos are shot on the street, in a café on Stratumseind, at The Efteling or at the Technical University.
Minors
He approaches women with compliments on their appearance. For instance, he often starts with ‘You look really nice’ or ‘Do you have a boyfriend?’. Then he asks for a phone number and sometimes the women give it. In one clip, he approaches a girl in a fast-food restaurant. When she indicates she is still a minor, he drops out. In The Efteling, he asks for the number of a girl dressed as Little Red Riding Hood.
Omroep Brabant spoke to several women who were filmed and who are not happy with the attention. ‘I was very shocked when I saw it,’ says one of them. She suddenly received emails from friends who had seen it on social media and immediately asked the man to remove the video. This he did. Another: ‘I thought “What the fuck” when I saw it, and, “What is this all of a sudden?”’.
‘Absolutely not pretty’.
The women did not know they were being filmed and that the footage would appear online. Some of them also comment below the videos. One of those filmed, who was approached in a clothing shop, wrote: “Next time you take a video, will you let us know?”
According to the women, the man allegedly uses Ray-Ban glasses with a camera and never appears in the video himself. What does he look like? ‘He is absolutely not handsome,’ said one of the women. Another: “He is very tall. When he came to me he had glasses on, but later that night I saw him again without them.”
‘Don’t wish it to anyone’
Both women feel it is important to warn of the man. ‘I hope it stops soon,’ says one of them. ‘I really don’t wish it to anyone, it’s something that just shouldn’t happen.’
On chat app Telegram, the man runs a dedicated channel where he shares “flirting tips” with other men. Those tips mainly boil down to: “Have self-confidence”.
Stop Intimidatie-app
Have any women raised the alarm? Eindhoven police and enforcement officers say they have not had any reports. But ‘harassment and (sexual) insinuation falls under street harassment. This can be reported via the ‘Stop Intimidatie-app’ and people who this happens to can also report it to the police,’ a spokesperson for the municipality informed.
The café on the Stratumseind in Eindhoven, where several videos were taken, says it is a warning for this kind of practice. The owner believes everyone should feel comfortable in the café. The Efteling says it cannot always do something: “If we see this happening we will call the guest to account. Unfortunately, we cannot always see this and it is therefore difficult to prevent it completely,” said a spokesperson.
Response to the “flirting coach”
The Eindhoven University of Technology, where the man says he studies and where he records many videos, says it ‘strongly disapproves’ of the man’s methods. ‘It violates both our campus policy and our values,’ a spokesperson said. He calls on women who have been filmed to come forward.
The man himself initially let Omroep Brabant know he was open to an interview, but wanted something in return. He later reported that an interview was ‘not worth it’ for him.
Source: Studio040
Image source: casimir at wikimedia
Translator: Vanya
