When Changchun resident Sun Qi recently logged onto his smartphone's WeChat instant messaging app, he found he had been friended by something called the Lang Ge Luxury Outlet.

In their album he saw many pictures of world-class branded luxury goods tagged "delicate knockoffs".

After a short conversation, Sun ordered a watch priced 850 yuan ($134), and transferred the money to a requested bank account because Lang Ge did not accept other payment means.