The Fate of China's Most Notorious "Beautiful Scammer" Who Shared Her Criminal Past on Social Media

Twelve Stories from Her Time in Prison Shared in Videos
Chinese Social Media: "Banned from Profiting Off Criminal Record"... Account Suspended

A woman who had gained attention in China as the "beautiful scammer" and the "most beautiful wanted fugitive" attempted to become active on Douyin, the Chinese version of TikTok, after her release from prison, but was ultimately banned from the platform.

According to Chinese media outlets such as Jimu News on May 6, the social media account of Cheong Cheon Jinryang, a woman from Mianyang, Sichuan Province, was suspended on April 27.

Wanted poster of Cheong Cheon Jinryang, known as the "Most Beautiful Fugitive" in China (left), and him introducing fraud prevention methods on social media. Douyin capture

In 2018, Cheong Cheon Jinryang was wanted for her involvement in a "bar enticement scam" at entertainment venues around Mianyang, Sichuan Province. When her wanted poster was made public, her striking appearance drew widespread attention, and she quickly became an online sensation. Netizens dubbed her the "most beautiful fugitive" and the "beautiful scammer." After fleeing, she eventually turned herself in and was sentenced to one year and two months in prison.

After her release, Cheong Cheon Jinryang lived quietly until she reappeared in March. She created a Douyin account, introducing herself with the greeting, "I am Cheong Cheon Jinryang, who was wanted in 2018," and posted 12 videos focusing on her criminal record and experiences during her incarceration, actively communicating with fans. As of April 27, her follower count had surpassed 8,000. In some videos, she also introduced fraud prevention methods.

Netizens were divided over her activities. Some argued that since she had already served her sentence, there was no problem with her working as a streamer, while others reported her to Douyin's customer service, insisting she should be banned.

At the end of April, Douyin stated in a post, "Our platform prohibits traffic and profit generation based on criminal records, including imprisonment and illegal or criminal acts." The platform's management further explained, "We ban the use of criminal records as a means to generate traffic and profits." They added, "Her account was already indefinitely suspended in 2024 for violating these rules, but she continued to post related content on the new account she created in March this year. Considering these violations, the new account has also been indefinitely suspended, her monetization privileges have been revoked, and her followers have been deleted."