Illustration: Luo Xuan/GT

 

"He left his mobile phone number and promised to return the money into my bank account. But when I called him later, he hung up."

A woman surnamed Zhao in Beijing said this when describing her experience of being cheated out of 300 yuan ($48) by a man who drove a Mercedes-Benz car. She said that when she was driving on the Fifth Ring Road near Yizhuang, Daxing district, the man beckoned to her, claiming that his wallet was stolen and he was in urgent need of 300 yuan in cash. Because he was driving a high-end car, Zhang did not feel suspicious and lent him the money. Only after the man hung up on her calls several times afterwards did Zhao realize she had been cheated. Local police said that similar cases have happened many times recently and suggested that people don't simply trust people because they are driving luxury cars. (Source: The Beijing Morning Post)