"Snakeheads" hidden in short video platforms

"Snakehead" released a short video of Southeast Asian KTV lights and wine, using high-paying recruitment as a lure to lead people to smuggling;

Expert: Short video platforms should join the anti-"electric fraud" social co-governance

"It's so dark that you can't see anything, two knives in the back." In April 2023, Huang Weijun recalled to the police at the Mengding Police Station in Yunnan Province that two "snakeheads" were holding him one after the other and walking towards a path overgrown with weeds. There is no way back, but to continue over the mountains. After more than half an hour, they finally walked out of the mountains and arrived in Myanmar.

Huang Weijun and the two "leaders" never knew each other. At the end of March this year, he saw the recruitment information of Myanmar KTV on the short video platform, communicated with the video publisher in private messages, followed the arrangement to come to Yunnan from Guangdong, connected with the "leader", and then arrived at the Yunnan border by car and motorcycle together, and smuggled to northern Myanmar by mountain road.

On April 4, Huang Weijun returned to China through the Qingshui River estuary.

A border inspector revealed that there are still some "snakeheads" hiding on short video platforms, luring people to smuggle people with high salaries. An investigation by a reporter from the Beijing News found that on the short video platform, the discourse system of these "snakeheads" has been upgraded. They do not directly publish overseas recruitment information, but publish a large number of short videos of Southeast Asian KTV venues that are bright and green, attracting commentators and private messages to go abroad.

Wang Jie, deputy director and associate researcher of the Institute of Rule of Law of the Beijing Academy of Social Sciences, who has long been engaged in anti-electricity fraud research, mentioned that the chaos of credulous online platforms recruiting with high salaries, thereby smuggling abroad has been exposed many times but still exists, indicating that the criminal methods of telecom network fraud are upgrading and diversifying, and short video platforms should update the methods and methods of supervision in a timely manner to join the social co-governance of anti-"electric fraud".

Myanmar KTV recruitment

In the short video, Huang Weijun dreams of a rich life.

25-year-old Huang Weijun, a native of Guangdong, has been working in a KTV in Guangdong, earning several thousand yuan a month. When the other party told him that the basic salary of KTV in Myanmar was <>,<>, the tip every night could be hundreds or thousands, and he could earn one or two thousand yuan a month, Huang Weijun was moved, and he decided to try it. He sent a private message asking if Myanmar KTV was still hiring.

At the end of March, Huang Weijun arrived in Kunming at his own expense as agreed, talked to the vlogger on the phone, and got into a car with two strange men. Huang Weijun did not know the specific route, but remembered seeing the word "Baoshan". After getting out of the car, they got on a motorcycle. Wait until late at night and start walking on the uninhabited path in the mountains and forests. Overgrown with weeds along the way, Huang Weijun was a little scared, but the person behind him took out a knife, and he couldn't turn back.

According to Article 322 of the Criminal Law of the People's Republic of China, whoever violates the laws and regulations on the administration of national (border) borders and illegally crosses the national (border) border shall be sentenced to fixed-term imprisonment of not more than one year, criminal detention or surveillance, and a fine; Whoever illegally crosses the national (border) border for the purpose of participating in a terrorist organization, receiving training in terrorist activities or carrying out terrorist activities shall be sentenced to fixed-term imprisonment of not less than one year but not more than three years, and shall also be fined. A week later, Huang Weijun, who successfully returned to China, paid a fine of 5,000 yuan for smuggling.

In addition to fines, some smugglers have also been sentenced for this. According to a criminal verdict from the Lanshan County People's Court in Hunan Province, in May 2021, Chen Moumou, a native of Blue Mountain in Hunan Province, saw a casino in Myanmar recruiting public relations on a short video platform, so he contacted video blogger Li Moumou, who said that if Chen introduced a person over, he would give him a 5,1000 yuan referral fee. In early June 2021, Chen Moumou contacted Huang and five other people, paid for the trip to Changsha, Hunan Province out of his own pocket, and after gathering in Changsha, Chen Moumou sent the identity information of the five people to Li Moumou through QQ, and Li Moumou bought a ticket to Kunming for the five people.

At about 2021 o'clock on June 6, 15, after Huang and five others arrived in Kunming, according to the contact provided by Chen, they took a gray Mercedes-Benz commercial vehicle to Dali Erhai, and then took a brown Buick commercial vehicle to a gas station in Mangshi City, Dehong Prefecture, Yunnan Province. Zhang, a native of Mangshi in Yunnan, settled the five of them on the second floor of a department store in Zhongzhai Village, Mangshi City, preparing to smuggle them along with others to Myanmar at 1 p.m.

Before they reached Myanmar, they were seized by the Population and Entry and Exit Administration Detachment of Dehong Prefecture in Yunnan Province. The Lanshan County People's Court of Hunan Province held that the defendants Zhang, Chen and Huang violated the normal state management order of the national (border) border, and under the command of the leading elements, they co-opted, lured and introduced many people to smuggle across the national (border) border, and were caught when they were preparing to carry out smuggling out of the country, and that their acts had violated the Criminal Law of the People's Republic of China, and they should be investigated for criminal responsibility for the crime of organizing others to sneak across the national (border) border (attempt), and were sentenced to one year, seven months, and six months in prison, respectively.

Hidden "snakeheads"

To this day, some "snakeheads" are still active on short video platforms.

In May 2023, a reporter from the Beijing News searched for Southeast Asian recruitment information on two well-known short video platforms and found that the homepage was an anti-fraud video posted by users. A warm reminder will pop up at the top of one platform, saying, "Northern Myanmar is a scam-prone area, please go out to work through a regular and legal labor intermediary, and do not trust the overseas recruitment information." ”

An investigation by a reporter from the Beijing News found that the "snakehead" pulled people in a more covert way. Their discourse system has been upgraded, and a large number of short videos of Southeast Asian KTV venues are published to attract commentators and private messages to travel abroad. As soon as someone in the comment claims that they "want to get rich", there will be suspected "snakeheads".

The Beijing News reporter found that a user named "Tingtingzi" posted a video of dancing in KTV on December 2021, 12, and in the past two or three months, there were 31 comments related to "asking for directions", "wanting to go over to get money" and "wanting to play", of which 20 were replied to "arrangement", "all-inclusive" or "5".

On May 2023, 5, a reporter from the Beijing News contacted a blogger named "Irreplaceable JHY" through a private message on the platform on the grounds of applying for a high-paying job in Southeast Asia. His short videos are all 7-yuan bills, luxury cars and KTV dancing videos. After adding WeChat, he claimed that he could take people to Xiaomengla in Myanmar for free, but he had to go to Xishuangbanna from his city at his own expense.

"Faster than going abroad", he said that he often leads people to smuggle people and guarantees a 100% safety rate. According to his route, you have to take a car first, then a motorcycle, and then walk up the mountain road for about half an hour, if you go, you can't bring too much luggage, and you can't have more than three people, otherwise it's not safe.

Since adding friends, the blogger has urged reporters to go to Myanmar every day to work. He said that after going to Myanmar, he could work as a waiter in his casino, with a guaranteed salary of 80,<> yuan for the first three months. Seeing that the reporter was not sure for a long time, he threw out a high salary to continue the temptation, he claimed that he had earned more than <>,<> yuan outside, drove a Ferrari, he persuaded in various ways, "I will not force you to go, there is no difference between not fighting and salted fish, unless your family is rich, otherwise it will be like this for a lifetime." "Don't just sleep every day."

On May 5, he sent a chat note saying that he had taken two more people to smuggle in Myanmar that day. Another chat record with ID photos shows that a minor from Fuyang, Anhui Province, sent him his ID card and wanted him to help bring it to Myanmar, but he claimed not to take minors because the border is strict with minors, and even when they reach the Myanmar checkpoint, they will be persuaded to return. In addition, if there is a criminal record, he cannot bring it. Sometimes chatting and reminding reporters to delete chat records.

In less than a week, a total of 20 people on the two platforms responded to the Beijing News reporter, all claiming that they could take people to smuggle people. Most of their video content has dancing or drinking videos of Myanmar KTV, and some have no content, but just say in the comments that they can take people abroad. With the exception of two users on one platform who said their destinations were Laos and Cambodia, the rest were smuggled to Myanmar.

Most of the IP addresses of video publishers are in China, Yunnan, Anhui and other places, and only one person with the username "Sea Breeze" has an IP address in Myanmar, and he also claims to be a Kokang from Myanmar. Most of them are very cautious, neither revealing their personal information, nor describing specific routes, and are vague about the work to be introduced, and the user "@_磊" even blocks the reporter after replying "What kind of work can you knowingly ask".

These people all said that they could take people to smuggle for free, but the travel fee to Yunnan required their own pockets, and the name "No. 10 male model" was the only one who had to charge, claiming to cost <>,<> yuan.

When Wang Jie did anti-fraud research, she interviewed several people who had fallen into Southeast Asian wire fraud groups, and 30% of them came through recruitment information on short video platforms. Among his interviewees, those who did not travel to Yunnan at their own expense provided all the travel expenses for "snakeheads" or introducers, but these "snakeheads" were often recruited by men.

During the reporter's unannounced visit, I also met a person who claimed to be able to cover domestic travel expenses. User "Ah Wei's choice" said that he could give the reporter 3000,<> yuan in advance to fly the reporter from Hebei to Kunming, and then go to northern Myanmar to do gambling-related work. As soon as he sent these words, he called through the platform to discuss the smuggling matter, but as soon as he heard that the reporter was a woman, he began to curse, thinking that the reporter did not really want to go to Myanmar.

As a scientific researcher who has been engaged in anti-electricity fraud research for a long time, Wang Jie reminded reporters that if the other party calls the 3,000 yuan, and then the reporter calls back, it may be suspected of money laundering.

The scam company behind it

"There will be no pie in the sky", among Wang Jie's interviewees, everyone who believed in the high-paying recruitment of short video platforms fell into telecom network fraud after following "smugglers" to Southeast Asia for free. According to his research, generally speaking, the reason why these "smugglers" can take people to smuggle for free is because the wire fraud company behind them advances money, and when these people go abroad, they become "tool people" of the wire fraud company, and need to offset their own travel expenses through fraudulent performance.

Wang Jie said that in the past, these false overseas high-salary recruitment information not only appeared directly on short video platforms, but also recruitment websites, community forums and other Internet platforms, with the joint crackdown of various departments in recent years, the people's anti-fraud awareness has also improved to a certain extent, this information gradually withdrew, "snakehead" or wire fraud companies people turned to a more covert way to be active on the Internet platform.

What kind of work are these "snakeheads" hidden in short video platforms today? During the unannounced interview, the Beijing News reporter found that most of these respondents on the short video platform were vague, would not mention the specific work content, and the company's name and address could not be disclosed.

"The industry we are working in is not a legitimate business, and it is not good to talk to you too much." During the chat, the user "irreplaceable JHY" said that he had opened a company, and the next told the reporter that he could work in the casino he opened, but all the specific content was inconvenient to disclose, and could only be informed before getting on the bus.

The user "Dayun" means in pinyin that the cost of smuggling is paid by the company, but after arriving in Myanmar, he has to do telecom network fraud and sign an eight-month contract with the company. Through a private message, she directly sent a recruitment information in Dongcheng, Kokang Old Street, Myanmar, which said to recruit a marketing specialist, with a one-month probationary period. The basic salary is 40,12 yuan, the thirteenth salary, as well as birthday gifts, travel allowances, holiday gifts, etc., and medical expenses can also be reimbursed. It is required to have a fast typing speed, "more than 4 words per minute", good at communication, and likes online chat. The working hours are about <> hours per day, with a maximum of <> days off per month.

Users "follow the wind" also bluntly said that they went to Myanmar to do fraud. The work content is divided into two parts, if you make a phone call, you will do fake e-commerce website fraud, and typing and chat is to do "European and American disks", and use translation software to type and chat with European and American people. For this reason, when he looks for someone, he will ask the other party about the level of Mandarin, and he claims that not long ago, two Guangxi people with non-standard Mandarin went back after staying for a week.

He describes himself not as a smuggler leading the way, but as someone who introduces employees to scam companies, taking 15 points a month from the performance of these smugglers. There is no basic salary, but he can get more than 4,<> a month, and he has already driven a BMW X<>, "This year, you work hard, I can change cars." ”

Users "The Past Follows the Wind" claimed that they used to do "Indian plates" and "South African plates" in Wuhan Optics Valley, pretending to be women to talk to men in these areas about feelings. Many were arrested, and they moved abroad, and now in Myanmar, the only problem is recruiting.

He claimed that now they rent a floor in Myanmar, not a park. But before you go, you can't tell others your specific address. Previously, someone went and came back to report to the police, "There is the same information, now the three countries are united" "So ah, I won't tell you the location, go to observe for a few days, and receive the company to work without any problem." ”

Wang Jie mentioned that every member he interviewed was restricted to personal freedom to a certain extent, and it was common to be beaten and abused in the park, and only fraudulent performance could be exchanged for a certain range of freedom. In recent years, the media has repeatedly reported on Chinese residents being trapped and abused by Southeast Asian wire fraud syndicates. It is difficult to return to China, almost the consensus of those caught in it.

The Beijing News reporter found that some "advertisements" also appeared on the two major short video platforms. In their video, the picture is a national gate, or a street scene outside the country, and the text content says that it can help connect with domestic public security, connect with domestic families, and send them safely to the country.

Wang Jie believes that Huang Weijun is a rare lucky person. He had only been on duty for a few days before he heard a local colleague say that the Chinese who worked here would soon be sold to the fraud syndicate, "'There will be no pie in the sky,' he said that it is impossible for a 'snakehead' to lead people to smuggle people without charging, and I owe them hundreds of thousands of dollars in the first place." Huang Weijun was very scared when he heard this, thinking of those carrying guns on the street every day, he felt that it was too dangerous, and immediately began to think of a way to slip away.

Huang Weijun couldn't sleep in the middle of the night, and on the short video platform he found a local person who was specifically responsible for helping people return to China, and this person posted a lot of photos and videos of bringing people back to China. After contact, the other party asked for 20,000 yuan, Huang Weijun counteroffered 18,000, made an excuse to ask his family for these money, withdrew cash and gave the other party cash, and then smoothly walked into the Qingshui River port and returned to China.

"Social co-governance"

In 2021, Liu Haoyu believed in the high-paying recruitment that could almost "get rich overnight" on the short video platform and went to northern Myanmar. However, what awaits him is a "machine" life, every morning when he wakes up, he has to turn on the computer and use the social accounts assigned by the fraud group to add female friends, adding potential victims to the company's "pig killing plate" scam. The task is always not up to standard, he is not beaten, but he will always be punished by the "superior" as a squat.

Looking back now, this is a life experience that Liu Haoyu wants to clear the most. He originally lived in a mountain village in Hunan Province, and his parents had been working in other places, and he could not read at home, but the two or three thousand yuan he earned from part-time work every month was enough for him to spend alone in the countryside. Liu Haoyu's life is simple, in addition to working part-time is to brush short videos to kill time, he did not expect that brushing short videos made him suffer such a bad experience.

"It's like finding a needle in a haystack, they're the few people who got caught up." Wang Jie said that short video platforms have given these "snakeheads" the opportunity to find a needle in a haystack, and with the popularity of the Internet, the connection between people has become easier. Most of the overseas high-salary recruitment information he learned was a monthly income of one or two thousand yuan, but the requirement was only to be able to type, and people with primary and junior high school degrees could also do it, and the specific information of the company was also vague. For ordinary people, according to common sense, it can also be judged that it is not very reliable, but the 20% of people who are easy to be deceived, easy to be killed, and have a fluke mentality believe it after seeing it, so they become the "tool people" of the wire fraud group.

What Liu Haoyu regrets the most is that he actually cooperated with the smuggling behavior for a high salary of one or two thousand yuan a month. As a result, the money was not earned, and his family paid tens of thousands of yuan, and after returning to China, they also paid a fine of 5,000 yuan for smuggling.

Gan Shirong, a partner at Beijing Hwaseong Law Firm, said that it is precisely because most of these people have the intention to go to Southeast Asia to make a fortune, and they are often very cooperative with the actions of "smugglers". In addition, the discourse system of "snakeheads" luring people and smuggling people on short video platforms has been upgraded, and it is difficult to discover and crack down on them in time.

Gan Shirong believes that by letting Liu Haoyu, a person who has been caught in a scam, appear and say, plus movies, television, short videos and other means, the anti-electricity fraud is publicized, so that everyone knows that there will be no pie in the sky, especially these key groups who are easily deceived.

"Snakehead" continues to be active on short video platforms. On May 5, a reporter from the Beijing News called the reporting hotline of the relevant short video platform, and the platform reminded that the reporting information could be provided step by step, "The platform will strictly verify the reporting information, and if there is indeed a violation, your report will be approved." ”

According to Wang Jie's understanding, at present, in this regard, the relevant responsible parties can be dealt with in accordance with Articles 25, 42 and 43 of the Anti-Telecommunications Network Fraud Law of the People's Republic of China. The relevant competent departments may, on the basis of specific circumstances, order the suspension of relevant operations, suspend business for rectification, close down websites, confiscate unlawful gains, administrative detention, and other punishments. He said that if it is directly posted recruitment information for drainage, then the short video platform needs to bear a greater responsibility, and can even be investigated for criminal responsibility as an accomplice or helper.

"It's hard to say that short video platforms are necessarily in violation, and it's hard to define what responsibility they need to bear." Gan Shirong said that at present, short video bloggers generally describe the rich life in northern Myanmar, and then wait for others to view the video, and then lure people to smuggle people through private messages and other methods. In this case, it can only be said that the short video platform needs to bear part of the joint and several responsibility for this kind of thing.

With the strengthening of China's efforts to combat telecommunications network fraud, the 2022th meeting of the Standing Committee of the 9th National People's Congress passed the Anti-Telecommunications Network Fraud Law of the People's Republic of China on September 2, <>. Article <> of these states that "this Law is enacted in accordance with the Constitution for the purpose of preventing, curbing and punishing telecommunications network fraud, strengthening anti-telecommunications network fraud efforts, protecting the lawful rights and interests of citizens and organizations, and safeguarding social stability and national security." ”

Wang Jie emphasized the word "prevention" that he had witnessed countless families paying a heavy price due to telecom network fraud, and most of the Southeast Asian wire fraudsters he visited did not make money, but let their families lose more money in order to redeem them, "the ransom is more than 100,000, 3.5 million." To this end, he likened telecom network fraud to something that kills people without blood, and believes that the whole society must join the ranks of preventing electric fraud.

"Responsibility cannot simply be evaded by 'technology neutrality'." Wang Jie believes that short video platforms should strengthen supervision from the technical level, and investigate possible clues through technical means, such as more behavioral monitoring of video publishers located in Southeast Asia, and timely cooperation with relevant departments such as public security organs. With the advent of the short video era, Wang Jie pointed out that short video platforms should become the main force of anti-fraud propaganda, vigorously publicize valuable anti-fraud videos, and let the voice of anti-fraud be heard by as many people as possible.

(Huang Weijun and Liu Haoyu are pseudonyms in the text)

Beijing News reporter Wang Chang Intern Zou Bingqian