Impersonating someone on the internet is too easy, in this day and age.
Impersonating someone convincingly, though, is decidedly harder. Still, it’s not impossible—someone just successfully impersonated Wong Li Lin.
The fake Instagram account replied to a query by Lianhe Zaobao regarding the accusations of her touching Ronaldo’s arm, and it was only discovered later that this was not actually her.
“Wong Li Lin” Responded to Queries From Media Outlet
Wong Li Lin, the chief executive at Mint Media Sports, came under fire recently after she was spotted clinging to star footballer Cristiano Ronaldo’s arm when he was in Singapore, on 7 June.
Mint Media Sports has had Ronaldo’s image rights since 2015.
In a clip uploaded on TikTok, Ronaldo sported a disgruntled expression as the group jostled to take a picture together, and netizens speculated that it may be due to Wong Li Lin clinging (almost for dear life) onto his arm.
They were quick to blame her for his unhappy expression, citing her invasion of his personal space. Of course, other theories also surfaced, but none quite as viral as the first.
According to Lianhe Zaobao on 9 June, however, “Wong Li Lin” responded to the accusations.
Instead of apologising, she defended her actions, emphasising that she touched him only to guide him through the event.
She even added that if the people criticising her had the opportunity to meet Ronaldo, they would “make even more moves”.
“Wong Li Lin” Was An Imposter
Never trust anything on the internet—maybe it’s time for the return of this old adage.
In reality, the supposed “Wong Li Lin” who responded to the comments was actually an imposter.
On 12 June, Lianhe Zaobao issued a correction on their earlier article about her response, stating that Wong Li Lin’s public relations team had reached out to them to inform them that she had never published a statement, and the Instagram account did not belong to her.
For context, Lianhe Zaobao’s reporters had reached out to her supposed Instagram account earlier, to ask her to share her point of view.
However, it was revealed that the Instagram account was not actually the real Wong Li Lin’s account—it was actually an imposter.
Considering the account also had netizens fooled when they sparked outrage after posting a picture of Wong Li Lin with Cristiano Ronaldo, it’s probably an impersonation job well done.
There’s no real indication of who owns the account, but judging by the pinned posts, the account is plausibly owned by a One Direction fan:
The One Direction posts date back to 2012, indicating that the account’s been around for a long time.
The account has had its username changed in the past 90 days, but it’s been posting pictures of Wong Li Lin for quite a while now. The first one it’s posted, a grainy shot of the actress, dates back to 19 March this year—that means this impersonation wasn’t prompted by her Ronaldo controversy.
The account even posted this low-resolution picture of Wong Li Lin, without cropping out the Getty Images watermark:
It’s still active as of 13 June, and currently has three stories uploaded, including a screenshot of their text messages with Lianhe Zaobao.
Whether the account’s owner is Wong Li Lin’s dedicated fan, hater, or simply a person with too much time to spare remains to be seen.