Chinese online influencer found homeless in Cambodia after high-paying job lure
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The influencer was holding X-ray films that appeared to show injuries to her legs when she was found on a roadside in Cambodia.
PHOTOS: THE NATION/ASIA NEWS NETWORK
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BANGKOK - A Chinese online influencer, known as Umi, was allegedly lured to Cambodia by promises of a high-paying job, only to end up homeless, the Khmer Times reported, citing a statement from the Chinese Embassy in Phnom Penh issued on Jan 5.
The young influencer, who had around 58,000 followers, was found in a condition that bore little resemblance to her glamorous online image.
The case that began with the disappearance of Umi, who is in her 20s, has become a major story in China.
Umi had told her family she was going to Cambodia after an invitation by her Chinese boyfriend who lived there, with promises of a high-paying job and building a prosperous future together.
After 26 days without contact with her family, she was found on a roadside in Cambodia and appeared to be homeless.
She was holding X-ray films that appeared to show injuries to her legs, with visible signs of assault, and appeared disoriented and incoherent.
A Chinese national in the area reportedly stepped in to help.
Earlier, her family had sought assistance from the Chinese Embassy in Phnom Penh.
The embassy acted quickly, contacting multiple parties, including the Cambodian police and local contacts, to trace her whereabouts.
The consular office in the Cambodian town of Sihanoukville later found her on Jan 3 at a hospital, where she was described as being in very poor physical health.
Officials arranged for her to be transferred to another hospital for urgent treatment, and said she would be repatriated once her condition stabilised.
Before this ordeal, the woman, identified only as having the surname Wu, was known for posting about her lavish lifestyle online and was said to have worked at an upscale club in China’s Fujian province.
In early December 2025, she live-streamed and posted on social media that her Chinese boyfriend, who worked in Cambodia, had invited her to join him there.
She also boasted that he ran a sizeable business and was serious about their relationship, saying he wanted her to live with him.
Despite warnings from people around her and from fans, she went to Cambodia.
Chinese social media users were stunned by her latest photos, with many saying they could barely imagine what she had been through and how she could have ended up in such a state, expressing heartbreak for her family. THE NATION/ASIA NEWS NETWORK
