Arrests over video-stream singer fraud

FORTY suspects have been apprehended for allegedly using a seductive online personality to defraud gullible men. About 20,000 people have lost more than 8 million yuan (US$1.2 million) to the fraudsters based in Guangzhou City.

Police in Shanghai’s Minhang District started their investigation last month when a local resident, a man surnamed Wan, reported that a female WeChat contact had stopped responding to his messages after he sent her about 10,000 yuan.

Wan said the woman went by the name “Yimeng” on a video-streaming website where she performed songs. After adding “Yimeng” on WeChat, she asked for money to start a teahouse business.

Police apprehended “Yimeng,” a woman surnamed He, on April 7.

The woman was said to have confessed to being part of a larger organization involving dozens of people, all of whom used the “Yimeng” personality to talk men out of their money.

A suspect, surnamed Wang, said every fake “Yimeng” had 500 to 600 WeChat contacts.