Livestream "Leak" - 199 Yuan to Grab a Phone Worth Ten Thousand Yuan: Over 500 People Deceived, Yet No One Reported It
According to CCTV News, the Linghai Public Security Bureau in Jinzhou, Liaoning Province, recently reported a case of livestream-induced fraudulent shopping. The gang used the lure of "grabbing a ten-thousand-yuan foldable phone for 199 yuan" to operate across regions, deceiving over 500 people. Surprisingly, due to the small amount involved in each case, no one filed a police report.
The gang disguised themselves as experienced mobile phone bloggers, attracting viewers in livestreams with promises of follower benefits and loss-leading sales. They did not conduct transactions within the platform, but instead lured fans into muted WeChat groups with excuses such as limited benefits only available in the group and high platform commissions. They then used fake links to collect payments and blocked and disappeared after receiving the money, never actually shipping the goods.
The gang had a clear division of labor: a core team for overall coordination and operation, hosts responsible for persuasive tactics, dedicated personnel for acquiring real-name accounts, and central controllers to create hype. They frequently changed accounts to evade supervision.
After more than half a month of investigation, the police dismantled the entire gang, arresting 20 suspects. The case is currently under legal investigation.
The police stated that this case is a typical new type of complex fraud in the current livestreaming field. The fraud scheme is interlocking, specifically exploiting people's desire for low-priced benefits, but every step is a hidden trap.
The first step is that the fraudsters pre-register a large number of real-name accounts, disguising themselves as legitimate livestreaming hosts or physical store owners, and vigorously promote and create hype in the livestream, often saying things like "grab a ten-thousand-yuan phone for a few hundred yuan" or "limited-time loss-leading benefits" to specifically attract people looking for bargains.
The second step is that the fraud gang finds legitimate cultural media companies to act as a facade, deliberately creating a credible image of a physical store family, letting viewers mistakenly believe that it is a regular business running a promotion, and gradually lower their guard, truly believing that this outrageous low price is a genuine benefit.
The third step, and the most crucial one, is that the fraudsters will never let viewers place orders normally on the platform. Instead, they will find various excuses, such as "limited benefit slots, only group members can grab them" or "platform commissions are too high, paying privately is more cost-effective," to forcibly pull viewers into WeChat or QQ fan groups, completely escaping the platform's supervision and after-sales protection.
The fourth step is that after joining the group, the scammers will send purchase links, which are actually all fake. Paying on these links will not result in shipment, thus defrauding money; or they will ask for deposits or fees, thereby defrauding money.
Finally, once the victim has transferred the money, the fraudsters will immediately change their attitude, either blocking and deleting the victim as a friend, or finding more excuses to demand various deposits or fees until they completely disappear.