Close call! A woman in her sixties was deeply entangled in "sweet talk," and nearly lost her lifelong savings of 1.26 million yuan to a scam.

“I withdrew money to renovate the kitchen.”

Facing the arriving police officers from Lianqian Police Station,

Citizen Ms. Chen answered decisively.

But in reality, this was just an excuse,

And it was a script taught to her by a “friend.”

Recently, Lianqian Police Station successfully intervened in a case of friendship investment fraud targeting the elderly, safeguarding the victim’s life savings of 1.26 million yuan. Yesterday, Xiamen police issued a related warning regarding such scams.

65-year-old Ms. Chen

Lives in a community in Qianpu.

On March 21,

Ms. Chen withdrew 160,000 yuan in cash.

The unusual cash withdrawal triggered

A fraud alert from the Siming Public Security Anti-Fraud Team.

Police officers immediately went to verify.

However, in the face of the police’s persuasion, Ms. Chen appeared extremely resistant, responding firmly and vaguely: “I’m taking money to renovate the kitchen.” The police keenly sensed something was off; on one hand, they noticed Ms. Chen was glued to her phone, looking flustered, and on the other hand, they also found obvious inconsistencies in her statements.

The police detected Ms. Chen’s wariness and the anomalies behind it, and did not simply give up on persuading her, but instead continuously questioned her about kitchen renovation details: “Auntie, how much does kitchen renovation roughly cost? Where is the 160,000 yuan you withdrew now? Have you already contacted a construction team?”

Under the police’s questioning,

Ms. Chen couldn’t justify herself.

Her expression grew more anxious, her gaze evasive.

Her originally firm attitude gradually wavered.

The police then softened their tone,

Patiently calming her emotions,

And debunked her lies one by one based on the suspicions raised earlier.

Ultimately, Ms. Chen set aside her doubts

And truthfully revealed the entire process of her entanglement in a friendship investment scam.

It turned out that just a week prior, she received a strange friendship message from someone claiming to be “Yu,” a research worker around her age, who wanted to be friends with her. Subsequently, the two became increasingly close in conversation.

The scammer “Yu” introduced himself,

Under “Yu’s” warm rhetoric and sweet talk, Ms. Chen grew to trust him more and more, and subsequently downloaded two unofficial apps, “Feifei” and “Teams,” to communicate under his guidance.

Ms. Chen downloaded the chat software under “Yu’s” inducement.

Later, the scammer “Yu” posed as a false “China Medicine” investment platform, luring Ms. Chen with bait such as “guaranteed profits,” “inside information,” and “high returns,” gradually tricking her into investing funds.

Initially, Ms. Chen planned to “test the waters” with 160,000 yuan and then increase her investment. After patient persuasion from the police, Ms. Chen finally realized: “If it weren’t for you, my life savings of 1.26 million could very likely have been lost!”

Dialogue between Ms. Chen and the police

Reminder: Be cautious of “emotional tactics.”

Currently, friendship investment fraud has become a prevalent scam targeting the elderly.

Criminals precisely grasp

The emotional emptiness, lack of financial knowledge,

And the desire for stable returns among the elderly.

Their modus operandi is highly deceptive.

Scammers usually start with unfamiliar friendship messages, creating the persona of a “caring friend” through sweet talk, establishing private connections with the elderly via unofficial apps to gradually gain trust; then, using “internal channels” and “guaranteed profits” as bait, they lure the elderly into fake investment platforms, initially using small returns to lull their minds, and when the elderly are ready to invest large amounts, they immediately shut down the platform, block communication, and abscond with the funds.

The reason Ms. Chen was almost deceived

Was not only due to being misled by the scammer’s “emotional tactics”

But also because the scammer actively encouraged her to hide the truth,

Increasing the difficulty for police intervention.

The police remind

Citizens, especially elderly friends and their families, not to easily confide in online acquaintances or suddenly friendly strangers; be wary of any investment projects claiming “low risk, high returns” or “internal channels with guaranteed profits”; do not scan unfamiliar QR codes or click unknown links to download unofficial apps. Elderly individuals should always inform their children or relatives before handling large amounts of savings, or directly call 110 or the anti-fraud hotline 96110 for consultation and verification. At the same time, family members should accompany and care for the elderly’s social and financial situations, and promptly intervene or contact the police if abnormalities are detected.