Chinese Gold Digger a HOAX Marketing Tactic for an App Company

So last week a story about a Chinese gold digger popped up several websites, including NextShark, Elite Daily, Shanghaiist, and many others. Well it turns out that the whole story is a hoax.

The hoax was created to market an app called Youjia, a hook-up app where the Chinese gold digger apparently posted her “request for companionship.” In the original story, the gold digger promises she will sleep with guys to take her on a trip around China.

China, being a communist society, decided they didn’t like Youjia’s marketing tactics. They banned the app and its 30 million users from being used throughout the country.

Although the story was fake, I’m not sure the punishment fits the crime. Many sites have used “hoaxes” to create buzz. This brings up another point, that the Chinese government is still pretty backwards-thinking and punishers of innovation.

So, I guess don’t ever start an app in China.

Source: NextShark via Shangaiist

 

Written by Larry Vo