Social media platforms have increasingly become lucrative sources of income, sparking the rise of sophisticated fraud schemes.
In a recent case reported by the South China Morning Post, a resident of Zhejiang province in eastern China, identified only as Wang, was arrested and jailed for orchestrating a digital fraud operation that generated revenue through deceptive practices.
Wang, with the use of over 4,000 mobile phones to manipulate live streaming services, creates fake views to boost the perceived popularity of streams technique, known as “brushing,” which involves artificially inflating viewer counts, likes, comments, and shares to deceive applications’ algorithms. By employing this method, Wang successfully earned 3 million yuan (approximately $415,000) in just four months.
The fraud began at the end of 2022 after Wang was introduced to brushing by a friend. He quickly set up a sophisticated operation using cloud software that allowed him to control all the mobile phones simultaneously, thereby inflating user engagement metrics on platforms such as TikTok. Wang invested in 4,600 mobile phones, networking equipment, and VPN services to support his illicit activities.
Despite the low operational costs—less than 1 US dollar per phone—Wang’s enterprise was lucrative, selling enhanced live streaming services online until his arrest in March of the previous year. However, the scheme was not without its challenges; the fake viewer accounts often faced censorship and required frequent re-registration due to failures in verifying real identities.
Ultimately, Wang was sentenced to one year and three months in prison and fined 50,000 yuan (about $7,000) for conducting illegal business activities. The lead prosecutor in the case highlighted ongoing issues with account management on live-streaming platforms and noted that the origin of the mobile phones, potentially from the recycling market, remained unclear.
In addition to Wang, 17 other suspects are currently under investigation related to similar allegations of spreading fake online information for profit, violating national regulations, and disrupting market order.
