Woman Insists on Transfering ¥500k to "Foreign Friend", Turns out to Be...
On the morning of February 12, the Chongming Police Station received a call from Ms. Lin, reporting that her mother, Ms. Zhang, was attempting to transfer 500,000 RMB to an unknown man, who had allegedly scammed her. Officers quickly responded to the scene.
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The story began when Ms. Zhang casually browsed short videos and met a man who claimed to be a foreign soldier. The two quickly hit it off, and before long, they became "international friends."
Several days ago, the "foreign soldier" claimed to have received a $500,000 cash reward for his bravery on the battlefield. However, he explained that since he had no other family members, he was unable to safely store the money and asked Ms. Zhang to keep it for him via an "international diplomatic courier." Ms. Zhang, seemingly under a spell, believed the story and agreed. The scammer even told her that the courier fee of 10,000 RMB could be paid upon delivery.
Just two days later, the "foreign soldier" sent another message, stating that customs had seized the money, and that Ms. Zhang needed to pay a 500,000 RMB deposit in order to release the funds. He promised that the deposit would be refunded double once the money arrived. Along with this request, Ms. Zhang received bank account details for the deposit, with the scammer reassuring her not to worry if bank staff asked questions, as it was merely part of the remittance process.
On the evening of February 11, while Ms. Zhang was at home reviewing her bank book to withdraw money, her husband, Mr. Lin, discovered what was happening. Realizing it was a scam, Mr. Lin immediately stopped her and the next morning informed their daughter, Ms. Lin. She hurried home to persuade her mother to stop, but Ms. Zhang insisted. Left with no choice, Ms. Lin called the police for help.
Upon investigating, the police confirmed that this was a typical scam in which the perpetrator pretended to be a foreign soldier. Officer Chen patiently explained the details of such scams to Ms. Zhang, using real-life examples to help her understand.
As Ms. Zhang began to grasp the truth, Officer Chen asked her, "Which country is this 'foreign soldier' from? And why are all the messages you exchanged with him in Chinese?" Ms. Lin also pointed out, "Mom, how can a foreign soldier communicate with you in Chinese?" With these questions, Ms. Zhang finally snapped out of the scam and realized she had been duped. She vowed to cut off contact with the scammer and assured her family that she would not send any money.
Source: 上观新闻
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