Home
News
In Focus
Business
Metro
Nation
World
Sports
Feature
Opinion
View more »Opinion Columns
Wan LixinOpinion deputy editor of Shanghai Daily
Restaurants get off to a quick start thanks to game-changing policies
High service charges on event ticket refunds call for further regulation
Sunday
- Subscribe
Related News
Pyramid rescues promised online
By Tom Qian |
March 26, 2009, Thursday
|
Online Edition
Online Edition
A MAN has started an online service offering to save people involved in pyramid selling schemes. He charges 10,000 yuan (US$1,462) per person.
The man, surnamed Zhang, says he has already saved six people, according to the Wuhan-based Chang Jiang Times today.
Zhang, a marketing professional for five years, had lost money to an acquaintance in a pyramid selling scheme in Nanning, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, at the beginning of the year. After he returned to Wuhan, capital of Hubei Province, he developed his rescue scheme.
He has posted his service on Taobao.com, saying he will provide the rescue for people involved in things like "chain store marketing" or "capital operations" if they have relatives or friends who are willing to pay the money.
Zhang, 27, says he talks to the victims, expresses an interest in their schemes then asks questions which reveal the true purpose of the scheme so that the victims can realize they are being scammed.
He promises a full refund if this doesn't happen and his webpage has had 253 visitors to date.
Pyramid selling was banned in China in 1998.
The mastermind behind Beijing's biggest pyramid scheme was sentenced to 15 years in prison on Monday for swindling 1.68 billion yuan (US$246 million) from more than 22,000 victims nationwide by promising high returns on an investment in trees.
China launched a month-long campaign against pyramid schemes in 2007 after violent confrontations between illegal salesmen and law-enforcement officers.
The man, surnamed Zhang, says he has already saved six people, according to the Wuhan-based Chang Jiang Times today.
Zhang, a marketing professional for five years, had lost money to an acquaintance in a pyramid selling scheme in Nanning, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, at the beginning of the year. After he returned to Wuhan, capital of Hubei Province, he developed his rescue scheme.
He has posted his service on Taobao.com, saying he will provide the rescue for people involved in things like "chain store marketing" or "capital operations" if they have relatives or friends who are willing to pay the money.
Zhang, 27, says he talks to the victims, expresses an interest in their schemes then asks questions which reveal the true purpose of the scheme so that the victims can realize they are being scammed.
He promises a full refund if this doesn't happen and his webpage has had 253 visitors to date.
Pyramid selling was banned in China in 1998.
The mastermind behind Beijing's biggest pyramid scheme was sentenced to 15 years in prison on Monday for swindling 1.68 billion yuan (US$246 million) from more than 22,000 victims nationwide by promising high returns on an investment in trees.
China launched a month-long campaign against pyramid schemes in 2007 after violent confrontations between illegal salesmen and law-enforcement officers.
- About Us
- |
- Terms of Use
- |
-
RSS - |
- Privacy Policy
- |
- Contact Us
- |
- Shanghai Call Center: 962288
- |
- Tip-off hotline: 52920043
- 沪ICP证：沪ICP备05050403号-1
- |
- 互联网新闻信息服务许可证：31120180004
- |
- 网络视听许可证：0909346
- |
- 广播电视节目制作许可证：沪字第354号
- |
- 增值电信业务经营许可证：沪B2-20120012
Copyright © 1999- Shanghai Daily. All rights reserved.Preferably viewed with Internet Explorer 8 or newer browsers.
