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Fake Elon Musk at event enrages Chinese attendees hoping to meet the real one

NEW YORK — A Chinese entrepreneur and community leader in New York City’s Flushing neighbourhood is facing allegations of falsely publicising Mr Elon Musk, the eccentric billionaire boss of Twitter, Tesla and SpaceX, as the guest of honour at his magazine’s launch party to attract larger crowds but using a celebrity impersonator to deceive his guests.

Actors impersonating the Dalai Lama and Elon Musk at the magazine launch party in Manhattan on April 27, 2023.

Actors impersonating the Dalai Lama and Elon Musk at the magazine launch party in Manhattan on April 27, 2023.

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NEW YORK — A Chinese entrepreneur and community leader in New York City’s Flushing neighbourhood is facing allegations of falsely publicising Mr Elon Musk, the eccentric billionaire boss of Twitter, Tesla and SpaceX, as the guest of honour at his magazine’s launch party to attract larger crowds but using a celebrity impersonator to deceive his guests.

Mr Gary Kong, president of the Sino American Commerce Association, a not-for-profit corporation in Flushing aimed at promoting China-US friendship, hosted the celebration to mark publication of the first issue of Wall St Magazine at the James Hotel in Manhattan on April 27.

According to local media reports, over 120 Chinese attendees started gathering in the hotel lobby well before 7pm to wait to catch a glimpse of Mr Musk.

But it wasn’t until 9.30pm when a man resembling Mr Musk entered the ballroom, surrounded by bodyguards. Reports suggest that the man quickly unveiled the magazine and presented some awards after being mobbed by some attendees who wanted to shake hands and take photographs.

It was only after the individual left that some in the crowd pointed out that his appearance and voice were not similar to Mr Musk’s, enraging and embarrassing them as they realised that the celebrity was a fake.

Speaking to the South China Morning Post, Mr Kong said he originally scheduled a party featuring Mr Musk for March 23 but cancelled it after being “stood up” by the billionaire.

Mr Kong said he was expecting the real Mr Musk to attend the April event – but asserted that the focus was the magazine, not Mr Musk.

A press release for the event dated April 23 described it as an “Elon Musk launch cover appearance party in Manhattan”. Mr Kong said the wording sought to suggest Elon Musk’s appearance on the magazine’s cover, not at the party.

He added that the invitations never guaranteed a meeting with Mr Musk, contending that the announcement of the fake’s arrival on stage was quite indicative: “We are entertainment, Elon Musk is coming.”

The Chinese audience “probably didn’t understand”, he said, conceding that some attendees thought the real Mr Musk had arrived causing confusion and chaos at the scene.

A video on Chinese social media shows a woman from mainland China fuming over spending over a month in the US “just to meet Musk” and only getting a counterfeit in the end.

“[This event] has received a lot of attention in China, but it’s unexpected that the person who showed up in the end was fake…it’s unacceptable to cheat Chinese people like this, Chinese people deceiving Chinese people is too much,” she said on the video.

Mr Kong said that another investor had brought in the fake Musk, and that while celebrity impersonators are not uncommon in the United States the other investor did not realise the cultural differences between China and the US.

That investor did not respond to the South China Morning Post’s request for comment.

Two days after the event, the Sino American Commerce Association held a news conference to play down the fiasco and to distance itself from the gala.

Ms Annie Fu, the association’s founding president, stressed that it did not organise the event, saying “we really didn’t expect such a scene.

“All I can say is that this was [a result of] the differences between Chinese and Western cultures.”

The question is more than about culture. An invoice also shown online seems to indicate that US$10,000 (S$13,256) was paid by unknown attendees to catch a glimpse of their favourite tech titan.

The authenticity of the invoice could not verified. Mr Kong claimed it was planted out of “jealousy” to tarnish his image in the Chinese community.

However, he admitted that for the March event some invitees had been charged, including seven tickets bought by “some people from mainland China” at $US30,000.

Mr Kong said that the transaction was handled by a Florida-based accountant, adding that he had promptly returned the amount to the accountant with instructions to reimburse the invitees.

The accountant “didn’t return the money to the people,” he said.

A woman answering a call to the contact number on the accountant’s website said that it was now a new business and that the accountant had left the company four years ago. When asked about Mr Kong’s claims, she said: “People lie.”

The Post reached out to the accountant by email but did not receive a response.

Mr Kong said the April 27 event had been free. Nobody who claimed to have paid for the event, he said, had come forward to confront him or filed a complaint with the police.

Mr Li, a 52-year-old resident of Flushing who asked that his full name not be used, said he had known Kong as a community leader for 10 years. Mr Li, who said he had turned down an invitation to attend, said he believed that a formal complaint would not be filed.

“Once such a scandal comes to light, the people who paid money wouldn’t want to be laughed at for spending so much and being deceived, leaving them with a loss of face. As long as they get their money, I believe they will be silent,” he said. SOUTH CHINA MORNING POST

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