For the victims of fraud, it is no laughing matter

RAO YUAN, a postgraduate at a Guangzhou-based university was tricked out of 850,000 yuan ($132,217) by fraudsters. Yet after the incident was reported by the media, many netizens mocked her saying she is a bookworm who knows little about society. China Youth Daily comments:

The thieves that stole Rao's money did it in a typical way: They claimed to be the police and said she was involved in a money laundering case, requiring her to pay 1.28 million yuan as "pledge to the State". Rao raised 850,000 yuan and lost all the money.

Who is to blame?

The criminals, of course.

However, when the case was reported, many laughed at Rao because they thought she fell for the scam too easily. They said Rao has been in the lab so long that she is no longer able to survive in the real world. Especially, when Rao was reported to be a PhD candidate, they labeled her as "bookworm" and implied she had no understanding of real life.

How absurd and distorted is the logic they have. It is the role of the police to fight fraud, and the victim should never be blamed for being defrauded. It is the rampancy of telecom fraud that has resulted in so many people knowing about the tricks of fraudsters, and that is nothing to be proud of.

Media reports show Rao is very hardworking. It is her right to do her research without being defrauded, and we hope the thieves will be brought to justice soon.