China News Service, Shanghai, February 22 (Reporter Li Shuzheng) "Blind Box", "Low Price Grab", "High-Definition Street View"... Attractive App services allowed a "company" to defraud over 100 million yuan (RMB, the same below).
The Shanghai police held a press conference on the 22nd to announce a new fraud case of mobile phone software recently detected by the Shanghai police.
In the special winter and spring prevention and control operation of "removing hidden dangers and creating peace", the Shanghai police started with a clue of a citizen's complaint and destroyed a specially developed mobile phone software under the guise of providing false positioning, street view services, false blind box opening, and low-cost snapping. The criminal gang that defrauded users of money, arrested more than 30 criminal suspects including Ge Moutong and Wang Moumou, involved more than 50 types of mobile phone software, and the amount involved exceeded 100 million yuan.
In early December 2021, a complaint from Mr. Wang, a citizen, attracted the attention of the Minhang police in Shanghai.
The Shanghai police have recently uncovered a new type of mobile phone software fraud case.
Photo courtesy of Shanghai Police
In his complaint, Mr. Wang stated that he was attracted by an advertisement promoting a certain mobile phone software while browsing a short video. Even real-time high-definition street views around the world, experience VR 360-degree panoramic immersive tours.
Mr. Wang, who came to Shanghai to start a business for many years and was homesick, couldn't help but download and install the software.
The main interface of the software provides multiple functional options such as "Hometown Street View", "HD Street View" and "VR Panorama", and the recommended packages and prices are marked in prominent positions, which are 38 yuan for 3 months, 68 yuan for 1 year and lifetime use. 98 yuan.
Since the price is not expensive, Mr. Wang chose the lifetime use package and completed the payment.
To his disappointment, the software did not provide a high-definition street view of his hometown, and even the photos of the county town were very blurry, completely inconsistent with the description in the advertisement and software introduction.
After several unsuccessful attempts and contacting customer service for a refund, Mr. Wang complained to the relevant departments.
The police investigation found that since November last year, there have been more than 200 complaints about this software on a short video platform, and software such as "HD World Street View" and "3D Global Street View" with similar functions have a large number of complaints on various platforms. Records, and there are general commonalities in this type of software, they are all promoted through short video platforms, using false features such as “watching real-time street views” and “high-definition VR experience” as selling points to attract users to install software. When the user complains that the function does not match the advertisement promise, the customer service delays or refuses to refund the fee for various reasons.
On December 28, 2021, the Minhang Public Security Bureau set up a special task force to carry out investigation and found that the registered company that developed the so-called "Global HD Street View" software was "Shanghai Yuliu Network Technology Co., Ltd.", but the company had no actual business and The funds flowed, and the income and funds of the software flowed into another account named "Shanghai Groundhog Network Technology Co., Ltd." (hereinafter referred to as "Groundhog Company").
Although the remaining several similar software belong to different companies, as the investigation deepens, the police have successively found that these companies are all related to the "Groundhog Company".
After a comprehensive investigation of all legal representatives, shareholders and beneficiaries of the company, the police found that there were as many as 50 companies associated with the "Groundhog Company". The mobile phone software was registered and put on the shelves, and all the software's revenue eventually flowed into the "Groundhog Company".
The picture shows the site of the press conference.
Photo courtesy of Shanghai Police
After sorting out, the police found that the companies involved have invested more than 50 types of software in the mobile application market, which are mainly divided into four categories: blind box opening, low-cost snap-up, high-definition street view, and location services, and almost all software is suspected of fraudulent services. .
So far, a criminal gang that specializes in developing mobile phone software to defraud users of money under the guise of providing false positioning, street view services, false blind box opening, and low-cost snap-up purchases has surfaced.
On January 21, under the guidance of the Criminal Investigation Team of the Shanghai Public Security Bureau, the police launched an arrest operation in Block A, Building 7, a creative park in this city, including the legal person of "Groundhog Company" and its major shareholders Ge Moutong and Wang Moumou. All gang members, including the four main suspects, including Ge Mouyuan, Kang Moumou, were arrested.
According to the suspect's confession, the "Groundhog Company" company is well organized and divided into five departments: marketing department, product operation department, technology department, customer service department, and personnel and finance department.
Since the company does not have the ability and qualification to provide corresponding services, the so-called "high-definition real-time street view" software provides public free videos or pictures found on the Internet, which are neither high-definition nor real-time, and some even link directly to other map software.
For shopping software in the form of blind box opening and low price grabbing, no matter how much the user recharges or how many times the blind box is opened, it is impossible to grab or win the "big prize" in the advertisement. Cheap items below the actual amount.
Since December 2020, the gang has defrauded more than 100 million yuan.
At present, 30 criminal suspects including Ge and Wang have been detained according to law on suspicion of fraud, and 7 criminal suspects have been taken criminal compulsory measures according to law, and the case is under further investigation.
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