BANGKOK, Thailand – The Chinese Embassy in Cambodia confirmed on Jan. 4 the rescue of a 20-year-old Chinese social media influencer found begging on the streets of Sihanoukville.
The victim, identified by her surname Wu, had been lured to the coastal city by a high-paying job scam before being abandoned by a criminal syndicate.
Wu, a content creator from Fujian province with over 24,000 followers, became the subject of a viral social media search after photos showed her emaciated, sitting outside a hotel with a severely broken leg and holding her own CT scan films.
The rescue followed a months-long deception where Wu told her family she was working in China’s Jiangsu province, while she had actually traveled to Cambodia in April 2025.
Her family had reportedly sent her over 80,000 yuan ($11,400) for expenses before she disappeared in late December.
Embassy officials located her in a local hospital on Jan. 3 and transferred her to a better facility for urgent care. Wu reported that she was abandoned after the scam gang no longer had use for her.
Authorities warned that these syndicates frequently lure young victims with fraudulent job offers, only to seize their passports and subject them to abuse or neglect.
The embassy is currently coordinating with Wu’s family to facilitate her return to China as her health improves. (TNA)
