The BBC visited a Syrian refugee camp where they observed twelve families working with Hamid Al-Alwa, a 'TikTok intermediary,' who moves one smartphone across the camp. Hamid admitted to the BBC that he assists the families in managing their finances, but that by the time the money enters his account, the value of the gifts delivered to the refugees has significantly decreased.

'If we get a lion as a present, it's worth $500,' Hamid added in reference to the animated lion that appears on a livestreamer's screen when a sizeable donation is made. It is just $155 when it gets to the Al-Dana money exchange.

The study discovered that although some Syrian refugees claimed to collect $1,000 per hour from their livestreams, they actually earned much less. The BBC invited one of its correspondents to stream live from his Syrian-based TikTok account in order to test the platform's giving system. Through TikTok's live-gifting feature, the BBC contributed $106 to the journalist's account. The report states that the journalist received $33.03.

According to the BBC, a family would receive just $19 from a $106 donation after the commission deducted by money transfer businesses and middlemen.

According to a statement TikTok provided to the BBC, 'We are profoundly disturbed about the facts and allegations brought to our attention by the BBC, and have taken fast and rigorous action.' When asked by the BBC how much money it makes from livestream presents, TikTok declined to answer.

Insider looked through TikTok and came across at least five videos of refugees pleading for assistance. Each of the five videos was a webcast that fans had filmed. A number of refugees could be seen gathered around an elderly guy in one video, with one of them shouting, 'Help me, I need help,' repeatedly.In a another video, a guy and his three kids were seen thanking viewers for their gifts during a livestream.

Where these streamers were positioned was a mystery. The usernames used in these clips were no longer associated with their streaming, according to a platform search. On TikTok, users may use virtual currency to send live gifts. To 'grade or show your appreciation for an item of User Content that is uploaded or streamed by another user,' as stated in TikTok's virtual item rules, you can use these presents. The presents are subsequently transformed into 'diamonds' in the account of the recipient, which may be exchanged for cash.

A TikTok spokeswoman told Insider in a statement that the firm had deleted accounts that solicited donations in violation of its community guidelines. According to TikTok, 'This kind of content is not permitted on our site, and we are further extending our global standards around exploitative begging.'