[The Epoch Times, November 4, 2023](Reported by Epoch Times reporter Li Yun) Internet fraud in China is becoming increasingly rampant and the methods are constantly being updated. Recently, an aunt in Shanghai was defrauded of more than 200,000 yuan, and she said she was willing to be deceived. After the incident, a criminal gang was uncovered, and eight people pretending to be actors “Jin Dong” were defrauding young girls.
On November 3, the “Shanghai Procuratorate” WeChat official account reported that Mr. Zhang, a citizen, said that his mother, Aunt Zhang, was defrauded of more than 200,000 yuan. However, when questioned by the police, she not only refused to provide any identity information, but also refused to disclose the circumstances of being deceived. She said, “Even if I am cheated, I am willing to do so!”
According to Mr. Zhang, Aunt Zhang is a loyal “aunt fan” of actor Jin Dong. In her spare time, she likes to post photos or videos about “Jin Dong” on short video platforms.
In October 2021, Aunt Zhang was drawn into a fan group called “Jin Dong Star” on the platform. Since February 2022, she has been continuously recharging and rewarding “Jin Dong” in the group.
Soon after, “Jin Dong” added Aunt Zhang’s WeChat account in the name of falling in love. Mr. Zhang said that his mother chatted with “Jin Dong” every day and kept giving away her savings. His repeated attempts to dissuade her were in vain.
In April this year, Mr. Zhang secretly obtained his mother’s mobile phone, memorized clues such as “Jin Dong’s” live broadcast room account and the chat history between the other party and his mother, and then called the police.
Combining Aunt Zhang’s previous records of capital flow and information flow, a “Fake Jin Dong” group that opened a “celebrity private live broadcast room” on the short video platform and committed fraud was discovered.
The “Fake Jin Dong” group committed fraud in Jin Dong’s name
Wang, the leader of the “Fake Jin Dong” group, once engaged in fraud business in a company and has “experience” in defrauding money by pretending to be a star on a short video APP. At that time, Wang was a salesman and was responsible for chatting with netizens to commit fraud.
When Wang found it profitable, he resigned and established a “shell company” with his colleague Gao. Wang serves as the boss and is responsible for paying employees and keeping accounts; Gao is responsible for attendance and managing sales staff. The two teach company employees how to defraud.
Another person, Cai, also participated in part of the work of teaching fraud techniques, and six salesmen, including Li and Lin, were responsible for communicating with netizens.
This criminal group headed by Wang invites fans to join various “fan groups” through fictional celebrities and star identities, and then adds private messages on WeChat to induce the victims to establish emotional connections with their favorite “stars”, and then use various methods to Defraud the victim of money for any reason.
According to Wang, they will search for “Jin Dong” on the platform to find some related users and pay attention to them. Some old lady fans of “Jin Dong” will often post photos or videos about “Jin Dong”, and thus become the targets of criminal gangs.
Wang’s gang took advantage of the elderly’s characteristics of living alone and longing for care, and treated them with care and concern. Gang members also downloaded some male voice notes from the Internet, similar to “Hello, sister, I am your brother” to confirm their male identity.
Wang said that the celebrity voices used during their interaction with the victim were also voice-changed audio modified through software.
As the chat progresses, the gang members will gradually get to the point and induce the victim to transfer money under the guise of “falling in love” or “investing”. At this time, the other party often trusts him 100% and is willing to pay for “him”.
This criminal gang composed of nine young women defrauded multiple victims, including Aunt Zhang, of more than 300,000 yuan from May 2022 to June 2023.
At present, 8 people including Wang have been subject to criminal coercive measures on suspicion of fraud, and 1 person has been dealt with separately.
Editor in charge: Lin Congwen
Tags: Jin Dongs involved Shanghai auntie starchasing scam women Actors Criminal gangs
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