A romance scam scandal has rocked China as “Uncle Red of Nanjing,” a 38-year-old man, was exposed for cross-dressing as a woman and luring 1,691 young men into intimate relationships over a span of three years. The man, whose real name is Jiao, secretly recorded the encounters and uploaded the footage to paid platforms to profit from unsuspecting victims.
From “Online Goddess” to Criminal: Who Is Uncle Red?
Jiao’s nickname also prompted many to stand up for women’s rights. He once went by the self-given nickname “Sister Red”, which the media later changed to “Uncle Red” as many people complained that the name stigmatises women.
According to Chinese media, Jiao moved from another province to Nanjing, where he began building a false online persona as “Uncle Red.” Using heavily edited photos, a fake female voice, and a fabricated backstory claiming to be a divorced woman seeking love, he successfully charmed thousands of men online.
His daily routine began at 5 a.m., spending two hours applying layers of makeup, putting on wigs and silicone breast inserts, and dressing in women’s clothing. He posted short videos portraying the life of a caring, feminine homemaker cooking, gardening, folding clothes designed to attract single men. His content gained rapid popularity across Chinese social media.
Once he gained trust, Uncle Red would invite men to his apartment, asking them to bring small gifts like household items nothing expensive. Over three years, he created a precise scheduling system to avoid victims running into each other.
In a shocking twist, some victims, even after discovering Uncle Red’s true identity as a man, chose to continue the relationship, and even introduced their friends. Others, stunned and betrayed, immediately cut ties.
A police officer in Nanjing, who is also an online influencer with 5.5 million followers on a social media platform, @jiangningpopo, posted a meme of a man washing his eyes and said: “I thought I had seen it all.”
Evidence Seized: Wigs, Phones, and the Victim List
On July 5, Jiangning police raided Jiao’s apartment and confiscated:
- Multiple wigs
- Silicone breast inserts
- Six mobile phones
- A notebook listing 1,691 names
Authorities also discovered numerous videos ranging from a few minutes to over 10 minutes, clearly showing the faces and intimate acts of the victims. These were uploaded to paid adult platforms, further compounding the scandal.
As the case exploded online, many victims tried to erase their digital footprints, fearing public exposure. However, one male TikToker took the opposite route publicly claiming to be “one of the people involved in the Uncle Red case” and livestreaming his story under that title on Weibo to massive viewership.
The Nanjing city government has since launched a hotline to collect public reports related to the case. Police are conducting medical assessments and working through seized phone data to verify the full list of victims and communications. The final investigation report is expected to be released by the end of August.