Using charity for false publicity is not an isolated incident in the history of public figures.
The severe fire at Hong Fu Court in Tai Po, Hong Kong, caused hundreds of casualties and property damage. Charitable organizations such as Yan Chai Hospital promptly established emergency relief funds to support the affected residents. Many companies and individuals in the cryptocurrency industry also offered assistance, including industry giants such as Binance and Matrixport, each donating tens of millions of Hong Kong dollars. However, on December 1, the well-known KOL in the cryptocurrency community, @Elizabethofyou (Elizabeth), became embroiled in the "fake donation scandal" after the community discovered that her HK$200,000 donation receipt appeared to be photoshopped.
A Screenshot Sparks a "Fake-Busting" Campaign
On December 1, Elizabeth, a KOL in the cryptocurrency field with 130,000 followers, posted a tweet on social platform X (formerly Twitter), claiming to have donated HK$200,000 to Yan Chai Hospital to support the victims of the Tai Po fire. The tweet included a screenshot of the transfer confirmation, accompanied by the caption "The fire is ruthless, but people are compassionate." The act of kindness quickly garnered over 600,000 views and 1,500 likes, initially seen as a reflection of positive energy in the industry.
However, public opinion shifted dramatically within hours. Several members of the crypto community on the Twitter platform, including @CryptoNyaRu and @abyssofgambling, analyzed the screenshot and pointed out multiple suspicious points:
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Abnormal Font: The digit "2" in the amount "200000" in the screenshot appears noticeably thinner, inconsistent with the font style of the "Annual Donation Hotline" number below.
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Misaligned Layout: The amount line is misaligned with the text below, with obvious pixel height deviations, showing typical signs of modification using image editing software (such as Photoshop).
The doubts quickly escalated, and praise turned into criticism. The community believed that if this were truly a scam, using tragedy-driven traffic to exploit sympathy would be utterly despicable. They hoped Elizabeth could provide evidence to prove the donation was genuine.
Response from the Involved Party and Escalation of Public Opinion
Faced with overwhelming doubts, Elizabeth released a video response on the evening of the 1st. In the video, she insisted she "had donated and had a clear conscience," stating this would be her final response, and then presented another screenshot.
This screenshot differed from the first one, with discrepancies in the phone number. Moreover, the video displayed a static webpage without refreshing to show dynamic content. Additionally, netizens found her evidence unconvincing, as it lacked bank transaction records or an official receipt from Yan Chai Hospital.
After posting her response, Elizabeth ignored numerous comments demanding proof and continued to post commercial promotional tweets. This handling further angered the public.
Under Hong Kong's Theft Ordinance, misleading the public through false statements to obtain benefits (including advertising opportunities and enhanced brand image due to traffic) may constitute "fraud" or "obtaining property by deception." Such offenses, upon conviction, can result in imprisonment for up to 10 to 14 years. Netizens began verifying with the donation organizations and believed that legal consequences should follow if the fake donation allegations were true. Some KOLs also made actual donations to compare the authenticity of receipts. As of now, there has been no latest response from the donation organizations or Elizabeth.
Historical Warning: The Cost of Celebrity "Fake Donations"
Using charity for false publicity is not an isolated incident in the history of public figures.
The most famous case is that of international movie star Zhang Ziyi. During the 2008 Wenchuan earthquake, Zhang Ziyi claimed to have donated 1 million RMB. However, in 2010, netizens discovered that the actual amount transferred was only 840,000 RMB, and the whereabouts of the millions of dollars in donations she claimed to have raised at Cannes remained unknown.
After the incident broke, Zhang Ziyi's public image plummeted to an all-time low, facing an unprecedented crisis of trust. Ultimately, her agent apologized, attributing it to "management oversight," made up the shortfall, and hired an auditing firm to audit and disclose the foundation's accounts. Despite these remedial measures, the "fake donation" label followed her for years.
In 2015, while promoting the movie "The Witness," renowned actress Yang Mi promised to donate typewriters and blind canes to a special education school in Chengdu. However, by 2018, the school stated it had never received the supplies.
Yang Mi's studio explained that the failure to deliver was due to the negligence of an "intermediary." They subsequently made an emergency donation of the supplies and issued a public apology. Although not legally classified as fraud, the public deemed the incident "hypocritical," severely undermining her credibility as a public figure.
