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.