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As e-commerce networks gradually enter the lives of the elderly, while bringing convenience, criminals have also targeted this group of people to commit fraud. Recently, under the guidance of the Criminal Investigation Corps, the Minhang Branch of the Shanghai Public Security Bureau, after careful investigation, uncovered a fraud case under the guise of opening a "cross-border e-commerce" and successively arrested more than 40 suspects involved in the case, including the gang leader Huang, the traffic diversion personnel Wang and Lu, and the funds involved in the case exceeded 3 million yuan.

Is opening a store profitable or a scam?

At the end of 2023, a customer service staff member named "Reception-Weiwei" took the initiative to add Mr. Xiao as a friend and asked him if he was interested in cross-border e-commerce business, saying that he could make a lot of money. Faced with new things, Mr. Xiao, who is nearly 80 years old, became very interested. He asked the "customer service" for in-depth information and learned that "no experience is required, special guidance, and hands-on teaching are required, and only 5,000 to 10,000 yuan of franchise funds are required to start the project."

Screenshot of the chat between the "customer service" and the elderly. All pictures in this article are provided by the Shanghai Minhang Police

Afterwards, the "customer service" introduced Mr. Xiao to the method of opening a cross-border online store. He only needed to open a store on their platform, and then he would receive orders and place orders on the webpage provided by the customer service. The company did not charge any related fees for the first three months, and only took a 10% commission of the profits thereafter. "As long as there is a franchise fee, you can sit back and wait to make money." The simple operation made Mr. Xiao excited, and the "customer service" also provided relevant "qualification certificates", so Mr. Xiao dispelled his concerns and paid a "franchise fee" of more than 10,000 yuan.