Illegal arcade disguised as… fake Bitcoin mine? Soldier scams in China: Asia Express

South Korean police bust illegal gaming arcade LARPing as a legit Bitcoin mine, fake soldiers rob women of crypto in China. Asia Express.

In a scam that combined a fake relationship, fake crypto, and real doorbells, a woman in Xuzhou, a city in eastern Chinas Jiangsu Province, lost over $55,000 to a man who pitched USDT investments and sent a cash collector to her home. Five suspects have been arrested and the investigation is ongoing.

According to a notice published via the official WeChat account of the local police, the victim was first contacted by a man claiming to be an active-duty soldier. He gained her trust by invoking military rules that supposedly prohibited the use of WeChat, and directed her to download a separate app for private communication.

As their conversations grew more frequent and familiar, the man shared a fabricated story about a friend who had joined the state-run Tobacco bureau after retiring from the military and had access to internal data. He claimed they had already earned substantial profits through investments and invited her to get in on the action.

Read more