Though somewhat a new phenomenon in China, these catfishing techniques are similar to ones that have existed for years elsewhere. The issue again became a topic of conversation within the community last month after several men shared similar experiences to Jiankang’s on a forum for gay men on the review platform Douban. Jiankang’s saga is part of a series of scams targeting China’s gay community on popular dating apps and online forums that have grown in the past few years. Courtesy of Jiankang, translated by Sixth Tone Messages from “Mind-Piercing Ice” to Jiankang. The man then demanded 30,000 yuan ($4,700) to make all the exchanges disappear. “I will let your friends, colleagues, and relatives know you are a gay pervert.”
![online gay dating scam online gay dating scam](http://image5.sixthtone.com/image/5/47/345.jpg)
“Do you want to deal with this?” the message read. The scammer would also call and text him later to negotiate.
#Online gay dating scam archive#
“I panicked,” Jiankang, who only gave his first name to protect his privacy, told Sixth Tone, recalling the moment he saw the message on QQ and discovered the archive link was infected with malware that had obtained his phone’s contact list.
![online gay dating scam online gay dating scam](https://www.gannett-cdn.com/presto/2020/11/02/PDTF/95b8a8b8-9410-40e2-a856-a5935684b1b5-catfish.jpg)
He doubted if the person was the same one he’d connected with on Blued, or even if the profile picture on the app was real. He clicked the link in it, only to find a video of himself watching the man please himself. A naked man, masturbating, appeared for about 10 seconds before disconnecting. The 27-year-old accepted the call on social messaging app QQ indiscreetly. You can listen to an audio version of this article via “China Stories,” a SupChina-produced podcast sharing the best writing on China.