Police nab 鈥榢eyword鈥 swindlers
Print Edition
POLICE in Changning District have arrested 10 members of a gang that swindled almost 1.2 million yuan (US$196,000) from business owners by offering to buy their search engine “keywords.”
Many Chinese search engine operators, including Baidu and Sogou, provide keyword services as a way for companies to promote their online businesses. Whenever the selected word or phrase is entered into the search engine, its owner’s website appears first on the results page.
The Changning group, which masqueraded as an Internet technology company, tricked keyword owners by telling them that a third-party client wanted the rights to the search term and was willing to pay handsomely for it.
The rub was that as well as the keyword, the imaginary client wanted a package of technology products such as websites and smartphone apps, all of which would require funding.
According to Changning police, in one case, a keyword owner surnamed Liu was told by the swindlers that their client was willing to pay 10 million yuan for such a package. To complete the deal, however, they said they needed funding of 670,000 yuan, which Liu was talked into providing.
But soon after the funds were transferred, the gang told Liu the client had pulled out of the deal and that his money was lost. Smelling a rat, Liu called the police.
Following an investigation, officers on September 4 raided a property on Jinzhong Road in Changning and arrested the 10 people. The gang allegedly confessed to operating numerous scams since November of last year from which they generated almost 1.2 million yuan.
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