On October 3^rd in the early hours of the morning, five men dressed as policemen buzzed the Hotel de Pourtales intercom (Us Weekly). They asked “Where is the wife of the rapper?” (WUSA). They were asking for Kim Kardashian, who was staying in the hotel during the Paris fashion week. The men held a gun to the concierge’s head and forced him to open the door to Kardashian’s room (Us Weekly). The reality star was robbed at gunpoint, bound and gagged in the bathroom of her luxury apartment. According to TMZ, the attackers used plastic handcuffs with duct tape and grabbed her ankles. This was when she told police she thought was about to be raped. They then put her in the bathtub after duct taping her ankles. The thieves got away with 10 million dollars’ worth of jewelry including borrowed jewelry and an “upgraded” engagement ring from husband Kanye West (People Style). There were no signs of forced entry, so police told US Weekly that they think the robbery was an inside job. Authorities said the crime was likely to have been committed by a “highly organized” gang. Us Weekly’s law enforcement sources said it is one of the strangest cases they have dealt with because the Selfish author was sleeping alone with so much jewelry and did not have a personal body guard with her. Kardashian’s body guard was accompanying her sisters Kourtney Kardashian and Kendall Jenner.

According to People Style, there are people in the media that are holding Kim Kardashian West accountable for flaunting her jewelry and wealth on social media. Security experts and Chanel designer Karl Lagerfeld say she shouldn’t have flaunted the jewelry. Sources also say that Kardashian blames herself for the scary event. The Telegraph reported that Kardashian’s sister Kylie Jenner, along with former step father Caitlyn Jenner were ridiculed for sharing joyful photos on social media too soon after the incident. Kylie’s post included a beach photo captioned “Looking back at Turks.” Caitlyns read “Had so much fun with Kylie at Sunday’s car show. Here we are with my friend Jeff Dunham’s original #Batmobile.” One angry commenter had something to say about it, “I’m sorry but what the hell is with you and Kylie…you sound like you don’t care about Kim, I’m sure you didn’t mean it but it’s insensitive and Kim was tied up and had a gun to her head but Kylie can’t stay off social media for more than one day?” After the comment, Kardashian’s former step father posted another comment with an image of Kim. “Love my girl!” wrote Jenner. “After hearing the full story, I’m so thankful she’s okay. It’s a reminder for us all to be careful in the uncertainty of this world.” Many spoke up in response to some of the awful things many have said about Kim Kardashian on social media (E News). “People making jokes about @KimKardashian tonight would do well to remember that she’s a mother,a daughter,a wife,a friend.Be nice or shut up,” wrote Late Late Show host James Corden.

According to Perez Hilton, Kim Kardashian West was not the only celebrity to have a scary robbery story. Included in the site’s gallery of Celebs with Scary Stories of Being Robbed are: Tay Diggs, Kate Moss, Matthew McConaughey, Rod Stewart, Keri Russell, Simon Cowell and LL Cool J. Though none listed came close to what Kardashian experienced, Simon Cowell’s experience was similar. His house was raided at two in the morning and the robbers stole cash and jewelry from his mansion. Cowell, his girlfriend Lauren Silverman and their son Eric were sleeping. Unlike Kardashian’s situation, a security guard was able to spot the intruder, tackle him and recover the possessions worth $600,000. Both Cowell and Kardashian were left traumatized. When Tay Diggs and LL Cool J were being targeted, both of them were able to detain their attackers on their own until police arrived.

Kim Kardashian West’s experience was very unfortunate and unusual. If her body guard had been there the situation may have been prevented. If she was not flaunting her jewelry on social media, it’s likely that she wouldn’t have been targeted by the gang. Social media and Kardashian’s use of the sites such as Instagram, Snap Chat and Twitter, are important factors to the robbery case. Many see the impact social media had on the situation, leading to Caitlyn and Kylie Jenner being attacked by commenters for posting on social media soon after the incident. Though some people were being cruel on social media, making fun of the E! star for “getting what she deserved.” It’s wonderful that Kardashian has great friends and other celebrities standing up for her in her time of need. Keeping Up with the Kardashians has been put on an indefinite hold and all of her appearances have been canceled for the time being as she recovers from the traumatic experience (WUSA). Most of the media is understanding of this and is just glad the reality star is okay.