Shanghai’s Huangpu district police said a widely shared image purporting to show a 510,000-yuan bill from the Peace Hotel was AI-altered, according to a November 13, 2026 report by IT Home citing CCTV News.
Police said Zhao, the head of an online liquor sales company based outside Shanghai, organized Wang and two people surnamed Dong to use AI software to change the bill’s amount and replace the hotel’s listed liquor with products sold by the company. The group also made a false video and spread the material through accounts they controlled and paid posts. Police said the aim was to attract attention and increase sales.
With help from police in other regions, Huangpu police detained 15 people in connection with the case. Four, including Zhao, Wang and the two people surnamed Dong, were placed under criminal compulsory measures; the other 11 received administrative penalties, police said.