In early December 2024, a Canadian parliamentarian who has been publicly supportive of Shen Yun Performing Arts received a suspicious email. The email sender claimed to be a former Shen Yun dancer, shared links to recent misleading reports in the New York Times, and relayed alleged accounts of overwork and trauma during their time with the company. The parliamentarian questioned the email’s authenticity and informed a local Falun Gong practitioner. That person checked with Shen Yun, which confirmed that there was no such performer by the name that was listed as the email’s signatory. On the same day, a Swedish parliamentarian who had also publicly praised Shen Yun received a nearly identical email smearing the company. This time, the email sender used a different name and email address. Again, Shen Yun confirmed there was no current or former performer by that name. The overlapping timing and language in the emails, both sent to lawmakers who had publicly spoken positively about Shen Yun, indicates coordination and that there may be additional parliamentarians who have received or will receive similar messages.

In early January 2025, the Swedish parliamentarian received another fake email urging him to withdraw support for Shen Yun. The email referenced the December 6 message and the lack of response, but used a different email address and signed with a different name, increasing the suspicious nature of the communication. The email author took advantage of three articles published by the New York Times in December that attacked Shen Yun and Falun Gong with misleading claims, referencing them in the latest message. Link to this case