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In Depth: Dating Apps Build a Business Around Catfishing Older Men

By Qin Jianhang and Cai Xinyi
2026年08月07日 19:09
Court cases show how apps marketed as local matchmaking services used false identities, paid chat operators and virtual gifts to extract millions from guys looking for romance

A dating app that marketed itself as a way to meet people nearby used a “chat-to-earn” business model to weave female chat operators across China into an organized scam targeting middle-aged and older men.

In the second half of 2023, a dating app called Zhilian began operating. Women were recruited and trained as chat operators.

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