Prosecutors in northern China's Shanxi province have filed criminal charges against a controversial livestreamer accused of operating a $80,000 metaphysical scam through Douyin, the Chinese version of TikTok.
Guo, the self-proclaimed spiritual guru, whose alleged metaphysical services ranged from aura cleansing to destiny readings, reportedly transitioned to orchestrating online harassment campaigns against critics.
In March 2023, Xiao Li stumbled upon Guo’s livestream on a short-video platform. Guo claimed she could predict fortunes, dispel evil spirits, and extend the lifespan of elderly individuals. During one broadcast, she performed a "divine possession" act, leaving viewers astonished. She pointed to a wall covered in commendatory banners, boasting that local businesses and celebrities had sought her services.
Convinced by Guo’s "mystical abilities," Xiao Li privately contacted her, hoping she could cure his parents’ illnesses and boost his own financial luck. Guo agreed, charging 2,000 yuan for a "feng shui" visit to Xiao Li's home. However, After some time Xiao Li found that his parents' health had not improved and only then did he realize he had been deceived.
"She enjoys threatening and berating people. She previously cursed other netizens in her livestreams. I feared she’d leak my family and business details, so I didn’t dare ask for a refund. Her livestreams had high traffic, and I didn’t want trouble," Xiao Li explained.
Earlier, a netizen exposed Guo’s scams in her livestream comments but faced vicious insults and threats. Xiao Li feared similar retaliation.
Guo leveraged abusive language to attract viewers and incited her fans to cyberbully critics.
During livestreams, Guo drew massive viewership by publicly ridiculing critics who exposed her scam, even replacing their digital IDs with her pet dog's name in a deliberate humiliation tactic that backfired as viewers recognized the deception.
Ironically, Guo’s controversial behavior drew more attention, boosting her popularity.
Driven by the desire to maintain high viewership, Guo cyberbullied others unscrupulously. She not only changing the usernames of netizens who exposed her scam in the comment section to her pet dog's name, but also incite her fans to join in the verbal abuse.
On one occasion, she even showed up outside a viewer’s home late at night and livestreamed herself threatening a nitzen outside his home at night.
One day, when Guo became dissatisfied with excessive wait times during his haircut at a salon, he demanded a refund which was denied by the owner Mr. Sun. That same evening, Guo retaliated by cursing and hurling insults at Mr. Sun during a livestream broadcast. She escalated the harassment by theatrically displaying a handwritten mock "obituary" paired with funeral music in the stream. This malicious campaign severely damaged the salon's reputation, resulting in plummeting customer numbers. Unable to withstand the business impact, Mr. Sun was compelled to temporarily shut down the establishment.
By September 2023, multiple victims reported Guo to the local police stations.
Investigations revealed Guo staged her live room with deity statues and ritual tools to pose as a "divination master." Many viewers believed her act and reached out for personal guidance.
To maximize her profits, Guo only engaged with those who tipped over 300 yuan. After listening to the netizen's request, She first scared clients with claims like "evil spirits haunt your home" or "impending legal disasters," then charged thousands to "purge curses."
When clients demanded refunds for unmet promises, Guo threatened them with powerful backstage. Over a dozen victims endured her verbal abuse.
Gaoping City prosecutors formally charged Guo on February2, 2024 with fraud and cyber-enabled harassment under China's revised Cybersecurity Law.
