Chinese Actor Threatens Legal Action Against Catfishing Imposters

Several accounts on short-video platforms claiming to be Jin Dong were found to be deceiving his fans — especially women of a certain age.

A popular Chinese actor is considering legal action against users on short-video platforms who created fake accounts under his name for personal gain.

The actor, Jin Dong, said Tuesday through his agency that he doesn’t have a personal account on any Chinese short-video platform and urged users to delete all content that violates his “portrait rights and brand name.” The 43-year-old actor’s statement came after a woman in the eastern Jiangxi province went viral this week for getting duped by a Jin imposter.

The 61-year-old woman, surnamed Huang, was smitten with the actor, whom she thought had approached her on short-video platform Douyin, according to local media. Huang was so convinced that she was interacting with — and also developing romantic feelings for — her beloved idol that she traveled to Changchun in the northeastern Jilin province with her son to meet him, though he never showed up.

Jin is mostly known for his television roles on shows like “The Disguiser” and “The First Half of My Life.” He has attracted a large female fan base with his sophisticated and dreamy on-screen appearances.

Now, scammers are targeting fans — especially those they call “elder sisters” — on short-video platforms with poorly edited video clips. The fans are asked to like the videos to increase the impostor’s followers, seen as potential buyers, during livestreamed sales events. Continue to read the full article here

 

– This article originally appeared on Sixth Tone.