Internet firms create fake celebrity profiles for sex workers in China
Chuang Shu-chung and Staff Reporter
2015-05-10
A sex worker in China. (File photo/China Times)
Nowadays even brothel owners in China have become increasingly internet-savvy, taking advantage of e-platforms to facilitate their operations, even in a fraudulent manner, as shown in a WeChat-based pimp ring which was discovered by the prosecutors' office of Shenzhen recently.
The prosecutors' office found that the ring colluded with internet operators and certain media outlets to create fake celebrity profiles for sex workers they employed, thereby pocketing several thousands or tens of thousands of yuan from patrons for sexual services.
The sex workers boasted of being beauty queens, masters of various languages and actors and models.
Insiders said these pimp rings often solicit the help of internet firm staffers to allow them to be passed over by screening mechanisms, including some search engines.
Often crowned with the title of "business models," the sex workers offer a full range of services, including accompanying customers to dine and play and having sex with them, at a charge of 5,000-20,000 yuan (US$805-$3,200) per time.
It is not unusual for an internet-based sex worker to earn over 1 million yuan (US$161,000) a year, a far cry from formal models who can earn 10,000-20,000 yuan (US$1,600-$3,200) per month at best.
Social media have become hotbeds for such rings which establish various groups on the platforms, each containing up to 100 sex workers.
