This Wannabe Chinese Idol Cheated People Desperate For Masks Of S$55,000, And Now He’s Probably Going To Jail For It

With many Chinese provinces in lockdown and filming for most movies and TV shows cancelled until further notice because of the COVID-19 outbreak, Chinese celebs have mostly gone home to spend time with their families.

For aspiring pop idol Huang Zhibo, however, he was up to something sinister — scamming people desperate to buy surgical masks and other medical supplies.

Medical supplies in China are now in high demand, and the 20-year-old, who was a contestant on survival programme All For One, reportedly made use of the desperate situation by 'selling' masks on messaging application WeChat. He is believed to have collected up to 280,000 yuan (S$55,000) from buyers via the app but became uncontactable after he received payments.