AI-Powered 'Drama Protection' Extortion Scam: Media Agencies Fabricate Negative Publicity to Extort 'Post-Deletion' Fees

Who Gets Targeted

Victims include film and television production companies, streaming platforms, and their promotional teams, particularly those under pressure during a show's launch window. Their psychological vulnerability stems from an intense fear that negative reviews and comments could trigger a collapse in viewership and commercial value. Often possessing substantial marketing budgets, they prefer to err on the side of caution. When presented with screenshots of negative articles and lists of posts to be deleted, they are often too anxious to verify the authenticity before paying to 'resolve' the issue.

骗局怎么运作

• Targeting Hot Topics: During the launch of popular dramas, scammers use web crawlers and AI sentiment analysis tools to scan the internet for mentions, comments, and articles. Any neutral or slightly critical remark is automatically tagged as 'negative' to build a database, with the pitch: 'Our big data system has detected a surge in negative sentiment regarding your show.'
• Mass-Producing Bot Content: Using AI to generate batches of fake audience complaints, they use automated scripts to distribute these across multiple platforms. This artificially amplifies controversy to create a reputation crisis, pressuring producers with the threat: 'If you don't handle this today, these posts will hit the trending list tomorrow and you'll be finished.'
• The 'Drama Protection' Disguise: They contact production teams or fan clubs, posing as professional 'drama protection' teams. They claim to have discovered malicious smear campaigns and offer a full suite of reputation management services, pitching: 'We specialize in drama defense; we can suppress all this negativity. Others charge a thousand per post.'
• Extortion via Per-Post Fees: They present forged or exaggerated sentiment reports, charging thousands per post or demanding exorbitant 'protection package' fees. They insist on payments to personal accounts or obscure shell companies to avoid scrutiny, threatening: 'There are 80 negative posts in total; the package price is 80,000. Pay today or we keep the pressure on.'
• The 'Create-and-Cure' Loop: If the victim refuses to pay, the scammers use AI to amplify the smear campaign or fabricate even more outrageous rumors. Once the victim pays, they use technical means to remove their own negative posts, completing the 'create the disease, sell the cure' cycle, claiming: 'See? Once you paid, the negativity vanished. You'll need us to keep protecting you in the future.'

红旗信号（看到这些快跑）

• 🚩 The party claims to be a professional protection team but cannot provide a business license, corporate bank account, or sign a legally binding service contract.
• 🚩 The price list is highly irrational, featuring bizarre granular charges like 'thousands per post,' which deviates completely from standard public relations market rates.
• 🚩 When asked to verify the sources or propagation paths of negative articles, the party provides blurry screenshots or accounts that appear to be bots, refusing to verify IP addresses or authentic user profiles.
• 🚩 After refusing payment, a sudden surge of highly homogeneous, machine-generated negative posts appears, with accounts registered at the same time or lacking any history of normal interaction.
• 🚩 The communication frequently uses threatening language—such as 'it will hit the trending list' or 'it will ruin the entire show'—rather than providing professional, objective brand reputation management advice.

真实案例

• In 2026, Hangzhou police announced the resolution of the nation's first extortion case involving 'drama protection.' A media agency with millions of followers collected and fabricated negative content to extort thousands per post from producers. Ten suspects, including ringleaders Li and Liao, were arrested. (Source: https://www.sina.cn/news/detail/5331446254274767.html)
• In 2025, a media agency used AI to generate fake negative articles about several automakers and distributed them across platforms to extort PR fees. Shanghai police arrested two suspects, seized numerous content-spinning tools and automated scripts, and banned all involved accounts.
• In 2026, the first national case involving the paid writing of fake 'grass-planting' (recommendation) notes and smear campaigns was sentenced. A black PR group used a system to batch-generate fake reviews for specific brands, using the promise of 'guaranteed top-three ranking' to extort competitors. The court ordered compensation and criminal liability.
• In 2026, three MCN agencies using AI to spread rumors about Xiaomi were investigated by police: 14 suspects were caught, 4 were criminally detained, and all involved accounts were deleted. (Source: https://www.163.com/dy/article/KVNHQ8T20530WJIN.html)
• In June 2026, Hangzhou police, as part of the 'Clean Net 2026' operation, dismantled the first professional extortion ring using the 'drama protection' pretext. Ringleaders Li and Liao operated film/TV accounts with over 20.2 million total followers, fabricating rumors to stir up controversy. Once producers contacted them, they demanded high fees for 'reputation optimization.' On June 16, over 40 officers conducted simultaneous raids across 8 provinces. (Source: https://www.sina.cn/news/detail/5331446254274767.html)

Official Stance

• April 2026, Hangzhou Police: Announced the resolution of the nation's first 'drama protection' extortion case, dismantling the ring led by Li and Liao, and warning entertainment companies to be vigilant against this new criminal method of extortion disguised as post-deletion services.
• April 2026, Xinhua News Agency: Published an investigative report exposing new types of internet 'water army' crimes, noting that criminal groups use AI to exploit hot topics for traffic, creating a black-market loop of fabricating negativity to extort deletion fees.
• May 2026, A major group reported that police had cracked a criminal case involving the use of AI to spread rumors about the company. Three media agencies and 14 suspects were caught, with 4 criminally detained, urging companies to report to the police and never compromise when faced with mass smear campaigns.

How to Protect Yourself

• ✅ Establish Official Sentiment Monitoring: Implement legitimate sentiment monitoring software and rely on professional PR teams to analyze real data, rather than blindly trusting screenshots or warnings sent by third parties.
• ✅ Report to Police Before Paying: If threatened with negative content and asked for payment to remove it, do not pay. Immediately secure evidence such as chat logs and payment account details, and call the police to report it to cybercrime units.
• ✅ Leverage Platform Reporting: If mass, homogeneous negative content is discovered, use the official one-click reporting channels on platforms to file large-scale infringement complaints, utilizing platform rules rather than paying for private deletions.
• ✅ Vendor Due Diligence and Compliance: When procuring PR services, strictly audit the agency's qualifications, sign standard service contracts, and make payments only to corporate accounts. Refuse any 'pay-first' demands or transactions via personal payment codes.