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A Chinese influencer with over one million followers, surnamed Xiao, was detained after fabricating a tragic backstory to gain sympathy and financial support from her audience. Xiao, who posted on the popular Chinese platform Kuaishou, claimed to be an 18-year-old girl abandoned by her biological parents and raised by a mentally ill foster mother in a village in Liaoning province.
She told her followers that her foster mother found her on the street after her own daughter died in a fire. Xiao’s story gained widespread sympathy, with many people moved by her struggles. Her followers, totaling 1.13 million, often expressed their support through comments and donations. Xiao also used her platform to sell consumer goods through live-streams.
However, her fabricated story caught the attention of the authorities. On September 4, Xiao, her "foster mother," and two of her team members were detained for 10 days, accused of fabricating the story for financial gain and disturbing public order. It was revealed that Xiao’s foster mother was actually her biological mother, and the mental illness claims were false.
The public reacted with anger and disappointment, feeling deceived by Xiao's manipulation for fame and profit. Many netizens condemned her lack of ethics, with some expressing concern about the erosion of public trust caused by such schemes.
This case is one of many in China, where influencers have been caught faking tragic life stories to attract online traffic and boost revenue. In a similar incident in March, eight people were jailed for falsely posing as poor farmers to sell goods online, earning 10 million yuan (US$1.4 million).
Source: SCMP
