"Don't worry, leave this to me. As long as you spend some money, I can absolutely get it done!" "We've got connections, don't worry. As long as the money is in place, there's no school you can't get into"... In daily life, I believe many people have heard such words. Some people think they have met a "savior" destined to help them and spare no expense, but little do they realize they may be falling step by step into someone else's scam. Many fraudsters seize the opportunity and exploit the mentality of "it's easier to get things done through acquaintances" to carry out fraudulent criminal activities. Judges at the Haidian Court have sorted through a series of fraud cases to help everyone keep their eyes open and guard against being scammed.

Case One:

"Fake Marriage" for Household Registration: Defrauded 400,000 Yuan, Sentenced to Five and a Half Years

The victim, Sun, wanted to obtain household registration in Beijing and was introduced to the defendant, Li. Li falsely claimed that he owned property and that after entering into a "fake marriage" with him, Sun could obtain Beijing household registration. On this pretext, Li deceived Sun into marrying him and signed a household registration agreement with Sun. Sun transferred 410,000 yuan to Li, who spent the money on personal extravagance. However, when the agreed time came, the household registration matter dragged on with no progress. Sun repeatedly questioned Li, who fobbed her off with various excuses, and eventually returned 50,000 yuan to Sun before losing contact. Realizing she had been scammed, Sun reported the matter to the public security authorities.

During the trial, the defendant Li and his defense counsel raised no objection to the criminal facts and evidence of defrauding the victim Sun. After trial, the court held that the defendant Li, with the purpose of illegal possession, defrauded others of property in a huge amount, and his conduct constituted the crime of fraud. The court ultimately sentenced the defendant Li to five years and six months in prison for fraud, fined him 30,000 yuan, and ordered him to compensate the victim Sun 360,000 yuan.

[Judge's Reminder]

At present, several major first-tier cities all have requirements for household registration. Many swindlers have set their sights on household registration, fabricating lies that they have acquaintances or can use special channels to handle household registration, and defrauding people of money by forging official documents and certificates or even through "fake marriage." The judge reminds here that before handling household registration, one should learn about the relevant requirements through official government websites or other legitimate channels, and should not pin hopes on "shortcuts" such as pulling strings, going through the back door, or "fake marriage." In addition, legally speaking, there is no such thing as "fake marriage"; registering a marriage means establishing a marital relationship, and the property and personal relations of both parties are then governed by the relevant provisions of law. Therefore, "fake marriage" not only creates moral and ethical problems but also puts one's personal and property safety at risk.

Case Two:

Selling Beijing License Plates via "Internal Quotas": Defrauded 5.3 Million Yuan, Sentenced to Thirteen Years

The defendant, Yang, claimed to know internal staff and to be able to handle Beijing passenger car license plate quotas through "internal channels," and by providing victims with forged passenger car lottery winning notices, defrauded seventeen victims of a total of 5.37 million yuan.

During the trial, the defendant and his defense counsel raised no objection to the relevant criminal facts and evidence.

After trial, the court held that the defendant Yang, with the purpose of illegal possession, defrauded others of property in an especially huge amount, and his conduct constituted the crime of fraud. The court ultimately sentenced the defendant Yang to thirteen years in prison for fraud, deprived him of political rights for four years, fined him 100,000 yuan, and ordered the defendant Yang to return 5.37 million yuan in illicit gains to the seventeen victims.

[Judge's Reminder]

When the probabilistic event of the license plate lottery meets rigid demand for vehicle use, scams involving handling license plate quotas or renting out license plates "emerge as the times require." To obtain a Beijing license plate, one can only go through legitimate channels such as the lottery and judicial auctions. Do not readily believe in "internal channels"; any act of requesting transfers or remittances under the banner of "winning the lottery" is fraud, and by no means should you readily believe others' claims of being able to handle it and pour in large sums of money, lest you suffer property losses.

Case Three:

Claiming to Find "Within-the-System" Jobs: Defrauded Over 300,000 Yuan, Sentenced to Six Years

The defendant, Wang, on the pretext of helping the victim Zhai's son find a formal establishment job, fabricated reasons such as the need to give gifts and pay deposits, and repeatedly defrauded Zhai of a total of 338,000 yuan. After receiving the money, Wang used the funds to repay personal debts and for daily expenses. When Zhai canceled the engagement and asked Wang for a refund, Wang put him off with various excuses. Realizing he had been scammed, Zhai reported the matter to the public security authorities.

During the trial, the defendant and his defense counsel raised no objection to the criminal facts and evidence, but argued that part of the defrauded money was used for giving gifts and that this amount should be deducted. After trial, the court held that the defendant Wang, with the purpose of illegal possession, defrauded others of property in a huge amount, and his conduct constituted the crime of fraud. The defendant and his defense counsel's claim that part of the fees were used for giving gifts was not supported by evidence and was therefore not accepted. The court ultimately sentenced the defendant Wang to six years in prison for fraud, fined him 100,000 yuan, and ordered the defendant Wang to return 338,000 yuan in illicit gains to the victim Zhai.

[Judge's Reminder]

In practice, lawbreakers often exploit parents' desire to seek stable jobs for their children, taking advantage of others' limited social experience or information asymmetry to defraud them of money in the form of "facilitation fees," "introduction fees," or "refundable security deposits/deposits," and during communications they constantly fabricate positive signals such as "it can be done," "it's easy to do," and "do it quickly." After collecting the money, they then delay the requested matter with various excuses, and some even lose contact entirely. It is reminded here that when looking for a job, one must keep one's eyes open and not be blinded by "shortcuts."

Case Four:

Falsely Claiming to Handle School Admissions: Defrauded Over One Million Yuan, Sentenced to Ten Years and Three Months

The defendant, Hu, falsely claimed that his uncle was a staff member of the education bureau and that he knew leaders of certain schools, and that he was capable of handling children's school admissions and transfers, defrauding five victims of a total of 1.11 million yuan. All of the above money was used for Hu's personal consumption.

During the trial, the defendant and his defense counsel raised no objection to the criminal facts and evidence. After trial, the court held that the defendant Hu, with the purpose of illegal possession, defrauded others of property in an especially huge amount, and his conduct constituted the crime of fraud. The court ultimately sentenced the defendant Hu to ten years and three months in prison for fraud, deprived him of political rights for two years, and fined him 30,000 yuan.

[Judge's Reminder]

Children's school admissions have always attracted widespread attention. A few lawbreakers exploit parents' psychology and carry out fraud under the guise of "having acquaintances" and "having connections." In addition, most swindlers promise to refund the money if the matter fails, so parents often cannot promptly realize they have been scammed. The judge reminds that although children's school admissions are indeed important, one should not "seek any doctor in desperation"; instead, one should learn about enrollment information through the school's legitimate channels.