Beware of fraudulent Olympic Games tickets, souvenirs and stock
tips,?Shanghai police warned yesterday after a spate of recent
cases.
Rare tickets for the opening ceremony of the Beijing Olympic
Games were often used as bait, police said. Suspects sent messages
to victims via SMS or the Internet telling them they had won
tickets and asking them to deposit small sums covering taxes and
express mail to a nominated bank account.
Others promoted fake Olympic Games souvenirs and mascots, or
cheated victims into buying Games-related investment products such
as stocks and funds, police said.
They did not reveal the number of Games frauds, but outlined the
details of two recent cases.
On August 23, a local Netizen surnamed Li met someone on the
Internet and gave the stranger details of his online game account.
The suspect then claimed Li had won a ticket to the Olympic Games
and a cash prize of 3,800 yuan (US$494).
Acting on the suspect's guidance, the excited victim then
deposited 4,520 yuan to cover so-called taxes and express service
into an account. However, the suspect was no longer traceable by
phone or e-mail after Li paid the money.
On August 19, a woman surnamed Lin alerted police, saying she
was defrauded out of about 60,000 yuan by another woman she met
while doing morning exercises. The victim, who lives in Zhabei
District, said the suspect claimed she had inside information on an
Olympic Games fund that would make huge profits.
Lin paid the woman 45,000 yuan to buy into the fund. Later she
gave the woman another 15,000 yuan for three Olympic Games gold
coins. The suspect disappeared after the second sum of money was
transferred, said police.
(Shanghai Daily October 8, 2007)