Did James Wen fall victim to a scam?

Taiwanese actor James Wen was recently honoured at the Golden Bell Awards last Saturday (Oct 5), where he bagged Best Supporting Actor for his role in the drama, The World Between Us. In his acceptance speech, the 41-year-old mentioned that he had just returned from Paris the night before, and that he was still terribly jet-lagged.

Earlier today (Oct 9), an anonymous insider revealed more about James’s trip to Paris, sharing that he, along with a number of other models, had actually fallen victim to a scam.

According to the source, the mysterious CEO who orchestrated the scam had claimed to have spent an exorbitant amount of money to obtain the clothes of the Chinese sea goddess Mazu, in a bid to exhibit it alongside the Mona Lisa. The CEO somehow managed to convince James’s management agency, EeLin Entertainment, to send James to Paris to walk as a model for the fashion show that he was organising at the Louvre.

Apart from that, the CEO allegedly got someone to impersonate pop diva Jolin Tsai, claiming that she was the ambassador for the fashion show. Thus, the duped parties, which included a number of artistes from EeLin Entertainment, including James, then set off on the night of September 27 to fly to Paris, with the fashion show scheduled to take place on September 30 at the Louvre.

However, when they reached Paris, they were met with a rude surprise. The hotel they were put in had spiderwebs in the corners of the room, and a musty smell. Although it was indeed walking distance from the Louvre, it was not maintained well, with a hot water supply that would be cut off every now and then.

While some members of the party did air their grievances with the CEO’s team, sharing that they found it hard to get a good night’s rest, their complaints fell on deaf ears. EeLin Entertainment eventually moved their artistes to a different hotel after one night’s stay.

Despite the poor living conditions, James was reportedly looking forward to walking the fashion show at the museum. The artistes even went for a fitting prior to the show, but it all came to naught. After a few days, EeLin Entertainment finally decided to pull their artistes out of the show, sensing something was wrong. Thus, James spent his time in Paris sightseeing instead.

Neither James nor his management agency has replied to the reports at press time.

Photos: PBE Media

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