People Could Sue ‘Young’ Chinese Streamer Exposed as 58-Year-Old Woman for Fraud, Lawyer Says
By Carl Samson
August 7, 2019
A “young” Chinese streamer who was recently exposed as a middle-aged woman after a technical glitch could be sued for defrauding her legions of followers, a lawyer said.
The streamer, known as “Your Highness Qiao Biluo” on Douyu, was unmasked as a 58-year-old auntie when her filter broke during a livestream on July 25.
Ahead of the fatal exposé, Qiao obscured her appearance behind an anime-style image. She reportedly sought donations before showing her “face.”
“I can’t show my face until I receive gifts worth 100,000 yuan ($14,160),” she told viewers. “After all, I’m a good-looking host.”
Qiao, who was broadcasting with another streamer, did not realize the glitch until the number of her viewers started dropping drastically.
While she managed to receive donations — with one viewer reportedly sending more than 100,000 yuan ($14,160) — many started to withdraw their transactions after the grand reveal.
Interestingly, the incident appears to have done Qiao more good than bad, at least for a while. Before Douyu shut her account, her follower count reportedly ballooned from 100,000 to nearly a million.
She also started signing contracts to advertise beauty cameras, which are popular in China. Even better (for her fans), she also announced plans to release a music album.
In what seems to be another layer of the twist, Qiao recently claimed that the shocking revelation was actually a publicity stunt — meaning, she had planned the “glitch” from the beginning.
According to Beijing News, she enlisted the services of a branding agency, which allegedly concocted the whole thing for 280,000 yuan ($41,000).
Without her Douyu account, Qiao’s future as a livestreamer is unclear. However, she could face a string of lawsuits for defrauding donors.
Apparently, those donors can claim compensation under China’s contract law, according to Jiang Zhimin of Jiangsu Jukai Law Firm. Speaking to The Paper, Jiang said that Qiao’s practices were equivalent to fraud, while Douyu should be responsible for verifying its hosts’ identities.
“And just like that, her career is over.”
“Can donations for aunt still be refunded?”
“This is a fat woman and people are disgusted.”
“I knew it. I thought it was marketing she did and it was very annoying.”
“This auntie has been ruthlessly canceled. She didn’t commit a crime. She’s just too old. She’ll live forever in the hearts of her fans. She’s immortal.”
Images via YouTube / 鏡週刊
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