An illicit blog that has swept the Internet and claims to tell the story of an "HIV-infected prostitute" is a sick hoax by an angry ex-boyfriend, police said yesterday.

The post, which featured 300 indecent pictures of Yan Deli, along with 279 cell phone numbers of "former clients", emerged last week and rapidly spread across the nation's Web portals.

The post claims the 30-year-old was raped by her stepfather at 15 and had become a waitress at karaoke bars in Beijing, and that the cell numbers were published in revenge against society.

However, police in Yan's native Rongcheng county, Hebei province, told China Daily yesterday that the blog had been written by the woman's ex-lover - a married man from Beijing.

The suspect, whose name has not been released, had demanded 5,000 yuan (US$730) from Yan when they split up but she refused, said a local police officer who declined to be named.

The man later told police the woman's brother had attacked him, the officer said.

The suspect then returned to the capital and, using the cell numbers he had received at the Rongcheng county police station, began to send indecent pictures of Yan to several officers via SMS.

"We have kept those text messages and we will sue him for smearing our reputation," said the officer, whose number was one of those listed on the blog.

China Daily was unable to contact the suspect yesterday.

Yan denied ever posting a blog online and said she plans to have an HIV test to prove her innocence, Beijing Youth Daily reported on Saturday.

The local center for disease control has also requested she undergo a medical check, local police said.

The newspaper reported Yan gave the illicit photographs to her ex-boyfriend, and that most of the published numbers were her colleagues or friends on an old cell phone.

The woman's mother told Beijing Youth Daily the incident has embarrassed the whole family and was quoted as saying: "The whole country knows about this. How can we live?"

She also dismissed any suggestion her daughter is a prostitute, and explained that she earned 2,000 yuan a month working in a Beijing restaurant.

About the rape allegations contained in the blog, Yan's stepfather added: "Whatever is said about me, it doesn't matter because I am old. But how can my daughter live with such rumors?"

Wang Jing, a Beijing lawyer, said that if the blog is real, the author has broken privacy regulations. However, if it is a hoax, they have violated laws to protect people's reputations.