Almost lost 80 grams of gold! Police: Beware of "gold investment"

Reclaimed gold. Correspondent Yin Jiale photo

On March 23, Ms. Li went to the Anti-Fraud Center of the Urumqi Public Security Bureau’s Economic and Technological Development Zone (Toutunhe District) branch to thank the police. Four days earlier, she had hidden a gold bar inside a tea package and sent it out, narrowly avoiding having 80 grams of gold fall into the hands of scammers.

On March 18, the Anti-Fraud Center of the Economic and Technological Development Zone (Toutunhe District) branch of Urumqi Public Security Bureau received a tip that resident Ms. Li was suspected of being targeted by telecom network fraud. She had purchased 80 grams of gold and shipped it via express delivery. The police quickly rushed to the scene to handle the case.

“At the time, Ms. Li didn’t believe she was scammed and was very resistant to our advice,” said Ding Wei, a police officer at the Anti-Fraud Center responsible for persuasion. After nearly an hour of patient communication and legal explanation with his colleagues, Ms. Li gradually realized the truth and revealed the details.

Recently, Ms. Li met an online friend. After establishing trust through chatting, the other party used the bait of “knowing internal investment channels and guaranteed high returns on gold investments” to lure her into spending 90,000 yuan to buy gold and participate in a so-called high-yield project. During this process, to avoid detection by banks and courier companies, the scammer instructed her to mail the gold to a designated investment location, wrapping the gold tightly with tin foil, hiding it at the bottom of a tea can, and covering it with loose tea leaves before sending it out.

“This is a typical scam, with the main purpose of ‘laundering’ illicit funds through gold,” Ding Wei explained. He then asked Ms. Li about the shipping time and the courier’s information. Learning that the package was sent just two hours earlier and that the courier might not have dispatched it yet, Ding Wei immediately coordinated with colleagues to intercept at the courier station. Through multi-party cooperation, the 80-gram gold package was successfully recovered that afternoon.

Ding Wei explained that this type of scam is a new method combining “online fraud + offline cash withdrawal.” Unlike traditional telecom network scams that require victims to transfer money, scammers induce victims to buy valuable items like gold. Due to its small size, high value, and ease of disguise in mailing, this method bypasses real-time bank risk control on large transfers. Moving illicit funds via courier not only complicates investigation but also presents new challenges for rapid interception.

How can people guard against this new type of scam? Ding Wei reminds the public that any online dating, stock recommendation, or requests to mail gold to a designated location or entrust strangers with “investment” are scams. Do not believe in “high returns with zero risk” investment lies, and do not disclose your assets to strangers online. When investing or managing finances, always choose reputable financial institutions. If you encounter suspicious situations involving the use of courier, ride-hailing, or other services to transfer cash, gold, or valuables, immediately call 110 or the anti-fraud hotline 96110 for consultation to prevent financial loss. (Reporter Zhao Shucheng, Correspondent Yin Jiale, Wang Yinpeng)

Reprinted from | Shiliu Cloud / Xinjiang Legal Daily

Source: Hami Zero Distance