SNH48 Fan Scams K-Pop Fans Out of 1 Million Yuan to Support Jiang Shuting

Fraud Fallout: Money from Merch Scam Used to Promote SNH48's Jiang Shuting

A user known as 7997 Crocodile (hereafter referred to as Crocodile) has been repeatedly involved in K-pop fan merch scams since 2015, operating under various aliases. Most recently in 2025, they carried out another round of fraud. 

At first, they kept delaying deliveries, claiming fans had to wait for “special benefits.” No one in the group chat suspected anything. When people asked about the progress, Crocodile responded aggressively, insisting they had a “solid reputation.”

Due to groups like IVE and (G)I-DLE releasing numerous fan benefits and online fansigns from late 2024 to April 2025, it’s estimated that the total amount Crocodile scammed has exceeded over 1 million yuan (more than 130k USD)

Throughout this period, Crocodile used multiple WeChat (wx) accounts—at least three to cover their tracks—and worked with accomplices, including someone referred to as Rat and other team members. They also used five different verified payment accounts (SKM), making it extremely difficult for victims to pursue legal or community-based action.

More than 100 victims started digging through Crocodile’s social media—Weibo, Douyin, Xiaohongshu, etc.—and discovered that from 2024 onwards, Crocodile had been heavily “rice gifting” (送米) to SHN48 members. 

Insider sources claimed Crocodile donated as much as 500,000 yuan to SHN48’s Jiang Shuting (蒋舒婷), and also bought unreleased polaroids, fan support goods, and other perks for Lin Shuqing (林舒晴) and other idols. According to partial stats compiled by current and former victims, most of these funds came directly from scammed fans.

Part of the money was used to create a rural-style Jiang Shuting support display in Chengdu. 

Pic: Adrian

"Due to the sensitivity of the date yesterday, we victims didn’t add hashtags or trending keywords when seeking help. Despite this, some of us were still attacked in Super Topics (超话) when posting for support."

"While trying to register for a 48 fan account as an outsider, one user stumbled upon Crocodile’s personal ID information—this was how we finally confirmed their real identity and long scam history going back to 2017."

"Crocodile is none other than Cai Baihui, who, according to SHN48 staff familiar with Jiang Shuting’s fan management group, has only participated in one official fan event. We thank those who helped us confirm this."

"Prior to today, we’ve already emailed SHN48’s company, and several victims have tried to reach out in person in Beijing, but have yet to receive a reply. As victims, we are not asking SHN48 fans to pay us back. The fact remains: Cai Baihui (aka Crocodile7997) used our money to support SHN48. Please don’t direct your anger at us, the victims."

Jiang Shuting's Fan Management Official Statement

Yesterday, after receiving reports from victims, we learned that user 7997 Crocodile is involved in scamming activities (ZP). The Super Topic moderators (yyh) have proactively contacted some of the victims to assist and share the known information. However, we do not have the means to verify the user’s real identity, and this situation goes beyond the moderators' responsibilities.

We deeply sympathise with the victims and firmly support their right to seek justice through legal channels. At the same time, we strongly oppose any attempts to associate Jiang Shuting herself with the actions of an unrelated individual. This incident concerns the personal spending of someone after committing fraud, and has nothing to do with Jiang Shuting.

We hereby make the following statements regarding this matter: 

1. While pursuing justice, please remain focused on the scam itself. Do not let emotions lead to online abuse of unrelated individuals. Attacking Jiang Shuting or others not involved is unreasonable, ineffective, and goes against the original intent of seeking justice. 

If we discover any false rumours or defamatory statements targeting Jiang Shuting without cause, the moderators will reserve the right to take legal action and fully support the artist in protecting her lawful rights. 

2. The Jiang Shuting Super Topic is a space dedicated to her as an artist. Any posts involving unrelated individuals or “trial by social media” will not be permitted. Posts related to this scam will be handled in accordance with the Weibo Community Guidelines.

3. Upon investigation, the individual in question had a wide range of personal spending over a long period of time. Claims such as “all the scammed money went to Jiang Shuting” or “the scam was purely to support a true love fan vote” are baseless and entirely false. We understand everyone’s emotions, but please avoid exaggerating or distorting the facts. For such false claims, the moderators (yyh) also reserve the right to take legal action.

4. We urge everyone to stop using hashtags or keywords that include the names of unrelated individuals. Such behaviour constitutes defamation against innocent artists and blurs the responsibility of the actual perpetrator. Please report the situation to the authorities in a timely manner and approach your rights protection rationally and responsibly.