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A Chinese influencer, Mao, has been sentenced to 10 and a half years in prison for scamming an elderly woman, Tang, out of 560,000 yuan (around ₹62.32 lakhs). Mao, who had a following of 42,000 on his platform, used fake emotional stories to prey on Tang's loneliness over two years.
Tang, a Shanghai woman in her 70s, was unmarried and childless. In 2022, her niece, Jiang, discovered that Tang had been sending large amounts of money to a stranger. Mao, who claimed to assist in selling products and helping people in need, initially gained Tang’s trust through his live streams, where she sent small gifts.
In 2021, Mao convinced Tang to buy fake health products. He later added her personal contact and started calling her “mum,” acting like a devoted son. Mao then began asking for money, giving various fake reasons like needing funds for medical treatments, his girlfriend’s abortion, and his father's illness. Tang, touched by his affection, even took loans to help him.
When Tang's relatives learned about the loans and suggested involving the police, she refused, even threatening to harm herself. Mao's messages became infrequent, but to regain her trust, he traveled over 1,000 kilometers to meet her, creating videos to further manipulate her emotions. Despite this, he later told her to stop contacting him, accusing her of not trusting him.
By the end of 2023, Tang finally went to the police. Investigators found that Mao had used four different online accounts to communicate with her. They were able to trace him through a photo Tang had taken of his car's registration plate when he visited her.
Mao was arrested and charged with scamming Tang of 560,000 yuan. The court sentenced him to 10 and a half years in prison and fined him 100,000 yuan. Judge Yu Huohai emphasized that the harsh sentence was due to Mao targeting an elderly person.
Tang, who lives alone on a monthly pension of 4,000 yuan (around US$550), is now deeply in debt, owing 70,000 yuan. Despite the financial burden, she rejected the court’s offer for judicial assistance. Tang's niece revealed that Tang, ashamed of being scammed, lost 10 kilograms in six months.
The case highlights the vulnerability of elderly people online. In China, many elderly internet users, comprising over 20% of the country’s 1.1 billion internet users, are falling victim to similar scams. This case has sparked calls for better monitoring of influencers and heightened attention to the emotional well-being of older individuals.
As one observer pointed out, "The platforms should do more to supervise influencers, and we should care more about our parents' mental health."
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