A Chinese elderly woman was duped of Rs 66 lakh (560,000 yuan) over a two-year period by an online influencer who preyed on her emotions by calling her ‘mum’ and pretending to be a son, according to a report in South China Morning Post (SCMP). The woman, surnamed Tang, in her 70s, was unmarried and childless when she got attracted to the stranger’s ‘kindness’ online.
The accused, identified as Mao, residing in northwestern China’s Shaanxi province, claimed to resolve people’s problems, helping individuals sell slow-selling products and assisting lost people find their homes.
Tang’s niece, Jiang, found out that her aunt had been constantly transferring money to the said stranger. She started slowly by sending small gifts to Mao’s live streams in 2021 but was later tricked into buying illegitimate health products.
As Mao smelled the opportunity to make quick money, he added Tang’s personal contact and started calling her mother. He greeted Tang every day like a real son and soon, started borrowing money from her.
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The long con
To ensure his long con was effective, Mao even travelled more than 1,000 kilometres to meet Tang. During the visit, Mao made multiple videos and used emotional music that conveyed mother-son love. Such was the Tang’s motherly instinct that she borrowed money from her relatives to send it to Mao. When the relatives tried to intervene, Tang threatened to “jump off the building”.
However, her suspicions grew when Mao began to reach out less frequently. He then accused her of not trusting him and demanded that she stop contacting him. This behaviour finally led Tang to contact the authorities by the end of 2023.
During the investigation, it was revealed that Tang lived alone on her Rs 47,555 (4,000 yuan) monthly pension but owed over Rs 8.32 lakh (70,000 yuan) as she splurged money on Mao.
Police in Shanghai successfully tracked down Mao, based on a photo of his car registration plate that Tang had clicked when he visited her. Prosecutors charged him with scamming the elderly lady with the court sentencing him to 10 and half years in prison and imposing a fine of Rs 11.88 lakh (100,000 yuan).