Viral videos expose the tactics behind online scams

Have you ever encountered an online fortune-teller? What would happen if these so-called "masters "tried to predict each other's fortunes?

This was the premise of an amusing social experiment by Zhao Huan, a 35-year-old anti-fraud blogger, in one of his viral videos.

The idea came to him after he noticed a growing number of online "experts" claiming they could predict whether a phone number would bring good fortune.

In most cases, the fortune-telling came with a catch: clients were either charged extra for a "lucky "number or persuaded to buy products supposedly capable of warding off bad luck.

In his video, Zhao posed as a client and asked three fortune-tellers to evaluate each other's phone numbers. As expected, numbers that one fortune-teller had praised as "lucky "were quickly dismissed as "unlucky "by the others. "It's absurd, but it really happened online and deceived many people," Zhao said.

Zhao's anti-fraud journey began nearly nine years ago when he was working as a scriptwriter for an online talk show. "I created a segment where I prank-called scammers," he recalled.

The segment quickly became a hit among young viewers, blending humor with scam awareness. It was then that Zhao realized comedy could be a powerful tool to educate people about fraud.

Making a difference

Today, Zhao is a full-time vlogger dedicated to exposing online scams, with a primary audience of young people aged 18 to 35.

He draws most of his video ideas from social media, follower submissions, and news reports on the latest scams.

One of Zhao's videos, for example, exposed a "spiritual healing" scam, inspired by a follower whose mother had been duped into paying 200,000 yuan ($27,865) to a so-called "spiritual teacher".

Zhao spent nearly two weeks investigating the scam and uncovered various fraudulent practices within the industry. Some scammers sold so-called "energy necklaces", while others claimed to offer "spiritual enlightenment "through mysterious techniques.

"These so-called 'mentors' are often promoted by multi-channel networks (MCNs)," Zhao revealed in his video. "They present themselves as wise 'spiritual masters', but some of them have previously appeared in other scam videos posing as 'nutrition experts', promoting so-called health products."

Zhao's most popular video, with over six million views, exposed a scam targeting young people through snack stalls. By analyzing more than a hundred similar clips, he discovered a recurring pattern: self-proclaimed "stall owners "boasting about massive profits or showing long lines of eager customers. The more exaggerated their stories, the higher the price they charged for their training courses.

Despite using humor to mock the scammers, Zhao always ends his videos with a serious warning: "Anyone promising young people an easy path to quick wealth is just trying to take their money."

Zhao also investigates scams targeting the elderly. To better understand how these scams work, he even created a fake profile on Kuaishou — a popular Chinese short-video platform — posing as an older person to appear more vulnerable.

"Many elderly people have transitioned quickly from watching TV to browsing short videos, often believing everything they see on screen is true," Zhao explained.

He identified a particularly concerning scam in online chat groups, where scammers would first share health tips to build trust, then gradually begin promoting and selling fake health products.

"Such scams spread rapidly online," Zhao noted. "Even if only a small fraction of people fall for them, the scammers still make a profit."

"Sometimes, I feel powerless," Zhao admitted. "Many victims have little education or live in remote areas, making them especially vulnerable. I'm not sure how much I can really do to help — other than raising awareness through my videos."

Despite feeling limited as an individual, Zhao's videos have made a significant impact. Many of his followers have reached out to share how they've avoided falling for scams or helped their elderly family members recognize fraudulent schemes.

"Some viewers told me their families can now spot the warning signs of scams and are taking steps to protect themselves," Zhao said.

His efforts have even drawn the attention of the online police, to whom he provides evidence and leads to aid their investigations.

Zhao has also observed that the government has launched a series of anti-fraud initiatives. In May, for example, the State Administration for Market Regulation launched a nationwide campaign to combat false advertising targeting seniors.

"I'm not afraid of retaliation from scammers," Zhao said. "What I worry about is not having enough influence. My hope is that one day, one of my videos will expose a scam so thoroughly that it brings down the entire operation."

mengwenjie@i21st.cn