Chinese streamer’s assistant accused of stealing her identity and making $160K in tips

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I was shocked to read that a popular Chinese fashion influencer – she has over three million followers! – is claiming her assistant pretended to be a rich Harvard student and stole her identity. Apparently, this assistant was using the fake persona to collect livestream gifts worth over $160,000! It’s just unbelievable that someone she trusted would do something like that.

On January 24th, Chen Xin revealed that her assistant of six years had created a fake online identity, using photos of her, her home, her clothes, and even her expensive possessions.

Chinese media say Chen received a tip from a viewer who reported seeing someone else in her house, wearing her clothes and jewelry, and taking pictures.

Assistant allegedly used influencer’s home, clothes and edited photos with AI

I was shocked to hear that my assistant, Jiang, apparently used my passwords to get into my home while I was gone! Not only that, but she actually wore my clothes – even my pajamas and stockings – and took pictures of herself with my designer bags and jewelry. She was basically trying to pretend to be me, creating this whole ‘rich girl’ image online, and it’s just… unbelievable.

Chen says Jiang further created the impression of a lavish lifestyle by sharing pictures online of fancy hotels and restaurants – places Chen had personally been to.

Jiang is also accused of taking photos originally shot by Chen, then using AI to swap Chen’s body with her own and significantly enhance her own appearance in the images.

Chen alleged the deception may have been happening since June 2023.

有百萬粉絲的網紅博主被助理複製人生，現實版的“安娜”。

— ying tang (@yingtan04410735) February 7, 2026

She alleged that Jiang repeatedly entered her home while she was away, tried on her clothes and jewelry, and falsely claimed ownership of Chen’s expensive possessions – including his house, car, and watches.

Jiang presented herself as a wealthy Chinese student at Harvard Medical School, as reported by the South China Morning Post.

Last January, she held a livestream focused on self-improvement for women and received approximately $164,000 in donations from viewers.

Chen explained that the livestreaming started recently and initially brought in tens of thousands of yuan, but then quickly grew in popularity and revenue.

The influencer said Jiang first contacted her as a follower, explaining she wanted to become financially independent from her family, who were struggling financially, and asked for a loan.

Chen hired Jiang even though she hadn’t finished high school, wanting to provide her with a steady income and a chance to learn valuable skills in the media industry.

Chen shared her photography expertise with Jiang, teaching her skills like editing and composition, and consistently gave her work for about two weeks each month. She considered Jiang a close friend and mentored her.

I heard she sent money to Jiang’s dad twice. Once after he broke something in a fall, and again when Jiang had to take time off work to look after him. It sounds like she was really helping them out during a tough time.

Chen said she felt deeply betrayed after discovering the alleged identity theft.

Influencer takes legal action against assistant

When confronted, Chen claims Jiang admitted she “did something wrong out of vanity.”

At first, Chen stated she didn’t want to sue, simply requesting a public apology from Jiang and a return of the money earned from the suspected scam through livestream tips.

So, apparently, things took a really bad turn with Jiang. He totally denied most of what she said, even though she accused him of a lot. He did admit to using some of her pictures and even wearing her clothes, which is… weird, to say the least. But overall, he basically blocked her and acted like she was making it all up. It’s a messy situation, honestly.

Chen has sent a legal notice to Jiang, claiming Jiang violated her rights by misusing her image, damaging her reputation, and invading her privacy.

This isn’t the first time something like this has happened in China. Last year, a man filed for divorce after finding out his wife had given $94,000 to a streamer she liked, which put him into significant debt.

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2026-02-09 19:20