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Foreign National Arrested on Same Day of Arrival Due to...

Recently, the People's Procuratorate of Xuanzhou District in Xuancheng City handled a fraud case involving a foreign national. The suspect, Daniel (a pseudonym), was criminally charged with fraud under Chinese law.

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In mid-December 2024, Daniel came across an enticing ad on Facebook promoting "part-time jobs within China with daily wages exceeding 1,000 RMB." Intrigued, he added the contact as a friend.

The individual claimed to be an employee of a lending company and explained that Daniel could easily make money by simply following instructions to assist in withdrawing cash.

Despite sensing something suspicious due to vague details and missing key information, Daniel, motivated by the thought of "earning money while traveling," decided to take the risk.

On December 29, he flew from Singapore to Hangzhou at his own expense. He then took a train ticket, purchased by the scammer, to Xuancheng, Anhui.

On December 30, Daniel followed the scammer's instructions and went to a supermarket in Xuanzhou District. Posing as a police officer, he fabricated a story about a victim's relative being arrested by the police and requiring a ransom to secure their release.

Through this lie, he successfully tricked the victim into handing over 30,000 RMB, which he was instructed to place at a designated location. The victim quickly realized they had been defrauded and reported the crime. Authorities opened an investigation the same day and arrested Daniel in a nearby town at 2 PM, just as he was preparing to commit a second fraud.

An investigation revealed that Daniel had agreed to a daily wage of 1,000 RMB for his involvement, but he only committed one day of the crime and had not yet received any payment. The Procuratorate concluded that Daniel, knowing the fraud was taking place, participated by impersonating a police officer and helping to deceive the victim. The total amount involved in the fraud was 30,000 RMB, with another 30,000 RMB in an attempted fraud. His actions violated Articles 266 (Fraud) and 25 (Co-conspiracy) of the Criminal Law of the People's Republic of China. Given the clear facts and sufficient evidence, Daniel should be held criminally liable.

It is notable that despite Daniel being a foreign national, Chinese law applies under the "territorial jurisdiction" principle. According to this principle, anyone who commits a crime within Chinese territory, unless otherwise specified by law, is subject to Chinese criminal law. Even though Daniel did not gain any profit, his participation in the crime and assistance in committing fraud still makes him legally accountable.

Daniel's story is both dramatic and cautionary. The Procuratorate reminds that the law does not make exceptions for those who fail to profit or for foreign nationals. Transnational crimes will be pursued across borders. The case has been officially forwarded to the People's Court of Xuanzhou District for prosecution.

Source: 安徽法治报