Chinese fraudsters’ latest way to scam victims – carrier pigeon

Chinese fraudsters have reverted to an ancient form of sending messages rather than relying on the internet or mobile phones for their latest scam – a carrier pigeon, according to a newspaper report.

A woman from Nanjing in Jiangsu province found a “lucky draw” scratchcard attached to a pigeon on her way to work on Tuesday morning, according to the Yangtse Evening Post.

After she scratched the surface of the card, a message revealed that she had won 280,000 yuan (US$41,600) as part of a lucky draw offered by a Sichuan province-based electrical equipment company.

First prize was a BMW car, the card said.

However, to claim her prize the woman was told he she needed to pay 50,000 yuan in “tax”.