Chinese police arrest 210 people in suspected online fortune-telling fraud

Source:Xinhua Published: 2019/8/16 19:44:38

Police in southwest China's Chongqing Municipality have arrested over 210 people in a suspected online fortune-telling fraud scheme involving 24 million yuan (3.41 million US dollars).

The local police have received multiple reports of online fraud this year. Preliminary investigation points to a company that organizes online fortune-telling services such as palm reading.

The suspects created a standardized online chat procedure to make victims believe they may have "bad fortunes" in terms of their health, job or career, and touted products for changing these "bad fortunes."

These products include amulets that have been blessed by so-called "fortune-telling masters" or online red packets from tens to hundreds of yuan donated to the "masters," the police investigation found.

The police launched a raid on July 29 to bust the group and confiscated over 1,600 phones used in the case.

Further investigation is underway.

Posted in: SOCIETY

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