Mr. Chen, a truck driver and former small business owner in Haiyan district, Jiaxing city, lived modestly. He resided in a simple, one-story home, wore clearance clothes, and used his son's old shoes.

"I don't smoke, drink, or socialize; I simply enjoy saving," he stated. This sum, nearly 8 million yuan (30 billion dong), represented his life savings, accumulated over two decades through diligent work and compound interest.

In early April, a person claiming to be an investment fund employee from Shanghai contacted Mr. Chen by phone, offering high-yield stock investments. After a month of following instructions and seeing actual returns of over 40,000 yuan, Mr. Chen's caution began to wane.

By May, the scammer lured him to another application, promising reduced taxes and transaction fees. Posing as a "strategic member," the perpetrator convinced Mr. Chen to repeatedly transfer funds into a supposed "safe account."

Between 14/5 and 19/5, Mr. Chen made six transfers, totaling 7,89 million yuan, into a company account in Shaanxi. Despite multiple warnings from bank employees, he insisted the funds were for business purposes. Following his final transfer, the application immediately displayed an error. On the morning of 21/5, the scammer sent a message: "Thank you, you are my biggest customer ever."

Mr. Chen in Shaanxi province speaks to the media after losing nearly 8 million yuan (30 billion dong) to the scam. *Photo: CNNB*

Only then did Mr. Chen realize he had been scammed and reported the incident to the police. "I worked and saved this money for over two decades. Now there's nothing left in the bank; I'm left with nothing," he lamented.

Tracing the money trail, police discovered Mr. Chen's funds were transferred to the account of Shaanxi Fire Fighting Equipment Co., Ltd., then immediately dispersed to multiple other accounts on the same day.

The company's director, Mr. Zheng, stated he was also a victim. To enhance his loan application profile, he had entrusted the company account's security device (USB token) to a friend. He was unaware that the account was being used to receive millions of yuan for money laundering, leading to a complete freeze of his company's operations.

Haiyan District Police have initiated a criminal investigation to uncover the full extent of this scam network.

*Bao Nhien (Sources: 163, QQ, CNNB)*