Woman loses nearly 280,000 yuan in online shopping scam
By Quan Zhanfu | chinadaily.com.cn | Updated: 2024-08-07 22:13
A woman in Daye, Hubei province, was swindled out of nearly 280,000 yuan ($39,000) after receiving an unexpected parcel, Jimu News reported on Tuesday.
On July 29, a woman identified as Pan received a parcel she did not recall ordering. As an avid online shopper, Pan assumed it was an item she had forgotten about purchasing. Upon opening the package, she found a small bag of laundry detergent. Confused, Pan checked the address and name on the package and confirmed that it was correctly delivered to her.
Pan speculated that she might have won a prize from a promotional event and examined a flyer included in the package. The flyer advertised free gifts for the summer season and hinted at more surprises upon scanning a QR code. Pan scanned the code and entered a corporate WeChat group, unwittingly falling into a scam.
In the group, an individual claiming to be an administrator offered Pan free items, including yogurt, laundry detergent, and milk. Encouraged by the prospect of receiving these rewards, Pan followed instructions to download an app called "FLYSONG" through a provided link.
On July 30, after registering and logging into the app, Pan followed the guidance of the customer service representative and paid 35 yuan for music promotion fees, quickly receiving 85 yuan as her commission. To assuage any doubts, the customer service representative showed Pan a photo of the platform's supposed collaboration with the national anti-fraud center.
After completing several tasks and receiving small commission payments, Pan decided to increase her investment by participating in a 30,100 yuan task, aiming to earn a substantial profit and receive a free washing machine. However, after completing the payment, the system indicated an error and demanded 122,856 yuan to "repair" her account. Desperate to resolve the issue, Pan fell for further enticements and eventually transferred 122,856 yuan and another 126,900 yuan to the so-called "safe account" to fix her account.
Upon attempting to withdraw funds, Pan encountered another system error and failed to withdraw her money. It was then that she realized she had been scammed and promptly sought help from the Daye police, reporting the case.
Police investigations revealed that Pan had been defrauded of a total of 278,967 yuan. The case is currently under investigation.
