In China, several social media accounts belonging to influencers who pretended to be Middle Eastern royals to sell products have been deleted.
On Friday, the South China Morning Post (SCMP) reported that influencer accounts were suspended from social media platforms after foreign actors were hired to impersonate Middle Eastern princes and princesses and sell low-quality merchandise.
Luo Jialin, an influencer with 100,000 followers on Douyin (the Chinese version of TikTok), appeared in a video with a man who appeared to be of Arab descent in front of a luxurious villa. In the video, she said, “My husband is a young prince from a wealthy and influential Saudi family,” and added, “I’m over four months pregnant.”
She announced plans to move to Saudi Arabia with her husband soon, stating she would return billions of yuan worth of assets to her fans at a loss.
During the livestream, Luo reportedly sold various items, including what she marketed as “French perfume” and “British royal detergent,” all priced under 50 yuan (approximately $7).
However, viewers grew skeptical, questioning why royalty was supposed to sell ordinary products instead of luxury goods. Eventually, the broadcasters were removed from the stream.
Another influencer, donning traditional Middle Eastern attire and a headscarf, appeared with a man seemingly from Dubai. She claimed to be liquidating her assets due to a divorce from her husband.
During this livestream, 300 pairs of stockings were sold for 6 yuan (approximately $0.82) each, while over 1,000 orders were placed for 2 kg of “British detergent” at 6.99 yuan (approximately $1).
As the controversy escalated, the Chinese community in Dubai released a statement asserting that no royal family from Arab nations had ever authorized live sales in China.
A Weibo user criticized these influencers for exploiting their followers’ admiration and curiosity towards successful, wealthy elites. Another user described it as a scam targeting middle-aged individuals who lack judgment.
An influencer who claimed to have genuinely married a Middle Eastern individual commented, “There aren’t actually that many so-called wealthy tycoons in the Middle East,” adding, “True aristocrats tend to stay out of the spotlight and rarely appear on social media.”
