Will a Fake Landlord Who Consults AI After Scamming Tenants Be Arrested? Police Provide a Direct Answer: Criminal Detention
CCTV News reported a rental fraud case in Hangzhou. The suspect, Tang, defrauded tenants of deposits by posing as a landlord and then, hoping to evade capture, consulted AI about the possibility of being arrested. He was subsequently criminally detained by the Shangcheng Police in Hangzhou, and the case is under further investigation. Reportedly, Mr. Zhang saw a rental listing on a trading platform with a price significantly lower than the surrounding market price and contacted the poster directly.
The other party, claiming to be out of town and unable to show the property in person, provided Mr. Zhang with the address and door code, allowing him to view the property himself.
After arriving at the scene, Mr. Zhang found the house clean and tidy, in a suitable location, and the door code was correct, so he let his guard down.
Subsequently, the other party, while the iron was hot, sent a forged property ownership certificate to alleviate his concerns, claiming that paying an intention fee would reserve the property. Mr. Zhang then transferred and paid the intention fee.
A few days later, when Mr. Zhang needed to contact the "landlord" for a matter, he discovered he had been blocked. After inquiring around, he learned that the real landlord was someone else and that he had been scammed, so he immediately called the Shangcheng Police in Hangzhou for help. The Jianqiao Police Station officers intervened immediately.
The police quickly filed a case and launched an investigation, quickly identifying the suspect, Tang, and successfully arresting him.
At the time of his arrest, Tang was consulting AI about the consequences of his friend's alleged fraud, hoping that the police would not pursue the matter as the amount defrauded was not large, and he was preparing to flee Hangzhou.
According to Tang’s confession, he came to Hangzhou to look for work without success. During the rental process, he discovered a loophole where agents would enter the door code in person during viewings. He pretended to view properties, secretly memorized the door codes and recorded videos of the properties while the agents were not paying attention. He then posted low-priced listings online, posing as the landlord, and defrauded tenants of deposits by forging property ownership certificates and inducing private transfers. The amount involved is approximately 7,000 yuan.
The police issued a clear reminder: tenants must transact through official platforms when renting, and refuse to make private transfers outside the platform; they must verify the original landlord’s ID card and property ownership certificate, and confirm that the person and documents match. They should also be highly vigilant about properties with prices significantly lower than the market price.
Landlords and agents should avoid entering long-term passwords in person when showing properties, and it is recommended to use temporary passwords and change them regularly. If you encounter fraud, you should promptly save relevant evidence and dial 110 to report it to the police.