(Original title: "Li Gui" haunts again! Pretend to be a number of fund companies to cheat, and even swagger to investigate listed companies! These methods have been exposed, so be vigilant)
As the market rebounded, "Li Gui" quietly followed the fund company again.
On February 23, China Securities Investment Fund issued an announcement stating that it was recently discovered that criminals in the market have used the name of the company to carry out illegal promotions, defrauding investors of funds and information, and seriously damaging the legitimate rights and interests of investors and the company.
Not only CITIC Construction Investment Fund, but also public offerings such as Great Wall Fund, Rongtong Fund, Cinda Australia and Asia Fund, etc. have encountered "Li Gui" deception in less than two months since the beginning of 2023.
The reporter found that criminals have various methods of committing crimes, and even "Li Gui" used the identity of investment research staff of fund companies to blatantly go to listed companies for research.
This trick was replicated in 2021 when they pretended to be star fund managers (such as Wang Zonghe and Liu Yanchun) to pull group recommendations. Researching for a listed company is even more daring.
Illegal publicity and promotion to defraud investors of funds and information
According to the announcement of China Securities Investment Fund, "Li Gui" pretended to be a staff member of the company, and carried out illegal publicity and promotion through mobile phone applications (APP), Baidu, WeChat, Weibo and other channels to defraud investors of funds and information.
From the clarification of China Securities Fund, it can be seen that "Li Gui" provides activities or services such as "ordering and task rebate" through mobile applications such as "FY" and "work", requiring investors to transfer funds to any Private accounts or asking investors for any account passwords are the modus operandi used by "Li Gui".
China Securities Fund reminds investors that the company does not have an official mobile phone application for the time being, and has never had relevant procedures such as "making orders". Investors should properly keep personal information, be vigilant to distinguish authenticity, and protect their legitimate rights and interests.
If there is any loss of funds, it should be reported to the local public security organ in time.
"Li Gui", who pretended to be Rongtong Fund, used the name of Rongtong Fund to induce investors to log on to false websites to recharge and transfer money.
Rongtong Fund stated that the company and its subsidiaries have never authorized any unit or individual to carry out the above-mentioned activities in the name of "Rongtong Fund", and any of the above-mentioned activities carried out in the name of the company or its employees has no relationship with the company.
Also in January this year, Great Wall Fund and Cinda Australia and Asia Fund also encountered "Li Gui".
According to the announcement, some lawbreakers used the name of Great Wall Fund to solicit customers in the name of providing investment and financial management services, defrauding investors of funds, which seriously damaged the company's reputation and the interests of investors.
In terms of Cinda Australia and Asia Fund, it was discovered that criminals issued false service calls such as customer service hotlines, artificial hotlines, and after-sales hotlines through Sina Weibo and other platforms to conduct illegal securities activities.
Repeatedly pretended to go to listed companies for research
From the reporter's long-term observation, it is often seen that fund companies issue "Li Gui" clarification announcements at the end of the year and the beginning of the year.
Compared with falsely using the name of a fund company, the "Li Gui" encountered by Pengyang Fund is more daring and out of the ordinary.
According to the announcement issued by Pengyang Fund at the end of December 2022, a criminal who claimed to be Jin Xiao, as a "staff member of the Investment Research Department of Pengyang Fund Management Co., Ltd.", carried out research and other activities in listed companies many times in an attempt to Cheating for profit.
Pengyang Fund stated that the company does not have an employee named Jin Xiao, nor has it entrusted this person named Jin Xiao in any way to carry out any research activities or other related businesses.
This approach, while audacious, is not new.
As early as 2021, when the track market was hot, "Li Gui" simply pretended to be a star fund manager and used the "stock recommendation" method to directly enter the battle.
Wang Zonghe of Penghua Fund and Liu Yanchun of Invesco Great Wall Fund, etc., were all "lying guns" at the time.
In the first half of 2021, Penghua Fund issued a clarification announcement, stating that criminals fraudulently used the names of Penghua Fund and the company’s well-known fund manager Wang Zonghe to defraud investors by recommending stocks to investors through WeChat groups and other methods.
The reporter found clues and entered the group, and saw that the group was recommending stocks in the name of Wang Zonghe and the Penghua Pension Industry Fund managed by him.
According to the clarification announcement issued by Invesco Great Wall Fund, as early as 2020, criminals formed a recommendation group for "Invesco Great Wall Fund Manager Liu Yanchun Team". It is the high-resolution picture of Liu Yanchun that can be seen on the official website of Invesco Great Wall.
The "assistant" in the group said that the address of Invesco Great Wall Fund was Jinzhou Street, Lujiazui, Shanghai, but the company's address was in Futian District, Shenzhen.
In fact, since December 2022, many public offerings such as Hang Seng Qianhai Fund, Oriental Alpha Fund, Southern Fund, and China Resources Yuanta Fund have encountered "Li Gui".
For example, Southern Asset Management announced at the time that it was found that criminals in the market recommended stocks and investment projects to investors by adding WeChat friends, adding QQ groups/WeChat groups, and recommending apps, and illegally engaged in other securities and fund investment consulting services. The so-called "high-yield investment projects" introduced by the QQ group and WeChat group, the "help pension" APP, the "Southern Fixed Investment" APP, and the false "Southern Fund" APP defrauded customers of funds.
Be alert to these 4 types of financial fraud
Yang Delong, chief economist of Qianhai Kaiyuan Fund, said that the phenomenon of "Li Gui" will cause great damage to the reputation of the fund company and the interests of investors, and the market needs to be more vigilant and severely cracked down.
Fund companies should step up inspections in their daily business operations, do a good job in monitoring public opinion, discover problems in a timely manner and make public reports in a timely manner.
Some people in the industry have summed up four types of financial fraud:
One is to set up counterfeit websites or APPs, embezzle company logos, and induce investors to download them.
The second is to pretend to be company employees (mainly fund managers), establish WeChat groups or QQ group chats, illegally teach and recommend stocks, and then defraud trust, induce transfers or recharge.
The third is that fraudsters claim to provide part-time job opportunities through Taobao store/winning SMS customer service, ask customers to download a certain app, provide a forged joint investment agreement, and deceive customers to follow the investment plan of the "mentor" to bet.
The fourth is that lawbreakers provided investors with forged official documents of financial regulatory agencies, which stated that XX Company had repaid part of the creditor's rights for it, and fraudulently used the name of the fund company to deceive investors into making payments.
But in fact, fund managers recommend stocks are bound by clear provisions.
Article 21 of the "Fund Law" states that relevant practitioners of public offering funds shall not disclose unpublished information obtained through the convenience of their positions, and shall not use such information to engage in or expressly or imply others to engage in related trading activities.
Rong Hao, a wealth management partner of private placement Pai Pai Network, said that to prevent fraud in the fund field, investors can use the following methods to judge:
First of all, product recommenders are required to show a fund qualification certificate.
Secondly, check whether the recommender’s unit has fund sales qualifications or manager qualifications.
Thirdly, in the payment process, if you choose a formal consignment agency, the funds will be remitted to the regulated special account for raising funds; if you choose the manager's direct sales, the funds will be remitted to the manager's fund transaction account.
Finally, if investors feel that the product design is particularly complicated, or there are layers of nested packaging, they need to be vigilant and consult professionals or lawyers.
(Brokers China)