The livestream industry is booming, and behind the sweet interactions and virtual gifts worth thousands of dollars lies a lucrative but risky market. Stories of “big spenders” getting scammed by streamers aren’t rare, but a recent cross-border fraud case involving nearly 2.82 million yuan (about 12 billion VND) in Liaoning Province, China, has shocked the public.

Inside the elaborate scam scripted by a Gen Z female streamer

It all started in early 2024 on a major Chinese livestream platform. Li Moumou, a young woman from the 2010s generation with a sweet appearance and a pure, starry-eyed persona, connected with a male fan named Liao. Thanks to his generous spending through the platform’s gift feature, Liao quickly became the top donor in Li’s chat room. Their special attention and sweet talk soon turned their online bond into a close real-life relationship.

Once she had Liao’s full trust, Li Moumou began her scheme. From May to October 2024, she spun a pitiful story claiming she was being exploited by her management company and wanted to break her contract to gain freedom. But to cancel the contract, she said she had to meet sales targets and cover huge taxes by receiving gifts during livestreams.

To convince Liao, Li promised a bright future: after successfully canceling the contract and reclaiming all her wages and bonuses, she would repay all the money Liao had spent on gifts. She even sweetened the deal with a fake love story, promising to marry Liao and start a media company together.

Blinded by love and sympathy, Liao fell completely for the trap. He kept topping up his account and buying the most expensive virtual items to boost Li’s streams, hoping to rescue her from the “management company’s trap,” unaware the whole contract cancellation and marriage story was a scam scripted by Li herself.

Close friend turns accomplice for quick gain

One of the most striking parts of this case is the involvement of Sun, Li’s close friend and roommate.

During the scam, Li’s personal account was limited in how much money it could receive, and to avoid tax scrutiny, she asked Sun to lend her personal and livestream platform accounts to move the money around. Sun knew full well there was no contract dispute and that Li was lying to steal Liao’s money, but because of their close friendship and small benefits, she turned a blind eye and lent her accounts multiple times.

Investigators found Sun’s accounts received over 580,000 yuan (about 2 billion VND) from Liao’s gifts. Sun then withdrew more than 308,000 yuan through Alipay, transferring it directly to Li Moumou’s personal account.

By October 2024, through various accounts and methods, the total amount Liao lost to his fake girlfriend reached a staggering 10 billion VND. When his savings ran dry and Li’s promises of freedom and marriage vanished, Liao finally woke up and reported the case to the police.

A 10-year prison sentence

After the police investigation, both Li Moumou and Sun were arrested. Under legal pressure and public outrage, Li’s family stepped in and repaid 1.2 million yuan to the victim to partially cover the losses. Liao later signed a letter expressing “sympathy” for the defendants, but the remaining 1.6 million yuan loss was too large to recover quickly.

In February 2026, the court sentenced Li Moumou to 10 years in prison and fined her 100,000 yuan for fraud involving a huge amount of money. Sun, as an accomplice, received a 3-year suspended sentence and a 20,000 yuan fine. The court also ordered Li to pay back the remaining 1.62 million yuan to the victim.

This case ended with a harsh verdict that left bitter lessons for the community:

For social media users: Never let online romantic illusions cloud your judgment. Streamers who smile and chat sweetly are running a business based on your emotions. Any requests for money transfers or financial help under the guise of love or contract disputes must be carefully verified.

For young KOLs and streamers: Money earned through lies and scams is never sustainable. Li Moumou was just in her early 20s, the prime of life, with a bright future ahead, but greed and illusions led her straight to a decade behind bars.

True friendship means pulling your friends out of wrongdoing, not blindly lending accounts to help them scam others. Sun’s blind loyalty didn’t help Li, it only brought her a suspended sentence and destroyed her reputation while she was still young.