4 Arrested in Beijing's Latest Prostitution/Extortion Scam

原创 Charles L. theBeijinger

As much as social media has revolutionized the way people meet each other, it's also made it easier for people to prey upon each other – especially for those who reveal themselves to have nefarious motives.

Four people have been arrested in Beijing's latest instance of an extortion ring that targeted unsuspecting prostitution clients, reported CCTV.

This past March, a man named Sun solicited a woman named Cai for sexual services over WeChat during a business trip to Beijing. After completing the transaction, Sun engaged in a conversation with an unknown man that Cai had called up. Identifying himself as a police officer, the third party told Sun that the hotel he was staying in was currently undergoing a police action. In exchange for a bribe, Sun was told he could avoid arrest.

Sun complied and paid Cai an extra RMB 5,000 using electronic payment. Unfortunately for Sun, the third party said this amount was not enough, causing Sun to pay Cai another RMB 21,800.

But even after Cai had departed, Sun received another phone call from yet another unknown person who asked for another RMB 10,000. At this point, Sun decided to accept the consequences and reported everything to police.

The ensuing police investigation rounded up four suspects who had used the same scheme to extort four other victims. As it turns out, blackmailers have been performing this scam in Beijing for years.

Four people were recently sentenced to four months in jail for trying to extort RMB 3,000 from a Shijingshan resident who bought sex last summer by bringing a minor to his apartment. That same season, a Haidian resident who solicited sex using the "Find People Nearby" WeChat function was blackmailed for RMB 88,000 by a gang of people who showed up to his residence threatening to damage his car. In addition, police arrested 15 people during an extortion/prostitution ring bust in 2015.

Images: CCTV.com

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