Princess KOLs Fake Royal Lives Exposed: Discount Sales Scam Busted

A wave of Chinese influencers posing as "Middle Eastern princesses" to hawk cheap goods has crashed, leaving a trail of banned accounts and disgruntled customers. These KOLs fabricated elaborate stories of royal marriages and impending relocations to justify heavily discounted sales, preying on public fascination with wealth and exotic lifestyles.

Image: scmp.com

One Douyin influencer, Luo Jialin, boasting 100,000 followers, showcased a lavish villa, claiming her marriage to a "Saudi prince" and imminent move to the Middle East. She advertised a fire sale of assets, offering "French perfume" and "British laundry detergent" for under US$7. Skeptical viewers questioning the sale of such mundane items by royalty were swiftly silenced.

Another influencer, similarly adorned in Middle Eastern attire, announced a staged divorce from her "Dubai prince," using the narrative to justify liquidating assets through deep discounts. She reportedly sold hundreds of stockings and laundry detergent at rock-bottom prices.

State media outlet China Youth Daily revealed the influencers hired foreign actors to portray these fictional royals, peddling low-quality products under the guise of royal endorsement. Authorities subsequently banned their accounts and removed the products from sale. The specific penalties remain undisclosed.

The Dubai Chinese community, DXBcom, issued a statement clarifying that no genuine members of Arab royal families had authorized any live-stream sales in China, further exposing the scam.

The incident ignited widespread discussion on Chinese social media, with netizens criticizing the exploitation of fans' admiration for the wealthy. One user recounted their mother's purchase of a foul-smelling perfume from a "princess" KOL, highlighting the scam's targeting of vulnerable demographics.

The scandal has also drawn commentary from legitimate influencers with genuine ties to the Middle East. "Saudi Rou Sister," who shares her experiences building a perfume brand with her husband in Saudi Arabia, emphasized the low-profile nature of genuine Middle Eastern nobility, contrasting them with the flamboyant online personas of the scam artists.