BEIJING — In the wake of the sudden death of beloved Chinese actor and singer Yu Menglong, social media platforms have been flooded with a wave of unverified “China Leaks,” including shocking claims that investigators have since labeled baseless fabrications.

Among the flood of rumors, one so-called “confession” — claiming a suspect had “eaten Yu Menglong’s flesh and skin” — triggered a global frenzy online. Within hours, the story was shared across Telegram channels, fringe news blogs, and conspiracy forums.

However, no official source, police transcript, or verified document ever supported such a claim. Digital forensics teams from Hong Kong and Singapore traced the alleged “confession tape” to a deep-faked voice recording, created using AI-generated speech.

Fact-checking groups including AFP Fact Check and BOOM Asia have since confirmed that the confession is entirely false and likely part of a coordinated disinformation campaign.