Crime gang in China turns sex workers into celebrities to make millions

One crime gang in China has given prostitution a modern spin.

According to CCTVNews, the group used social media platforms WeChat and Weibo to advertise the prostitutes they recruit as celebrities.

The gang does this by securing falsified identity cards to get around pornography and prostitution laws in China.

One of the prostitutes, Qiao Shengyi, posed as a well-known beauty queen.

Although she is regarded as a model, news coverage and 'exclusive' interviews about her are reportedly fabricated.

Internet-based prostitution is easier to operate and much harder to trace as compared to "traditional" prostitution, according to CCTVNews. As such, many sex workers end up earning millions and owning luxury cars.

It was also reported that some of the prostitutes paid large sums of money for plastic surgery in order to look like movie stars. Plastic surgery is said to "increase the amount the sex workers could charge", reported CCTVNews.

But late last year, the online vice ring was busted by the Shenzhen police in a high-profile case and all the parties involved were taken into custody.

Meanwhile, China's Ministry of Public Security has also stepped up their efforts to tackle this kind of Internet crime by initiating two national operations which have seen 103 suspects apprehended so far.

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