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Hairy crab season has arrived in China and so have the fake ‘paper crab’ fraud schemes
- Coupons to redeem hairy crabs are a popular gift during Chinese holidays
- But they also are an easy source for fraud, grifts and corruption
Reading Time:2 minutes
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Mid-Autumn Festival is a special occasion to gift people mooncakes, but there is another seasonal food in mainland China that might be more valuable: hairy crabs.
Coupons, or “paper crabs”, are used to redeem Yangcheng Lake crabs, considered the best of the hairy crabs that are in season every Autumn from around late September to December.
Hairy crabs are a popular delicacy in mainland China and Hong Kong, and while they are farmed elsewhere, including Japan and Taiwan, the ones from Yangcheng Lake in Jiangsu province are especially famed for their creamy roe.
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Coupons for crabs worth a certain value are pre-sold around this time of the year to be redeemed later and are popular gifts – and an attractive temptation for fraudsters.
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In an annual tradition, authorities and state media warned the public to watch out for schemes to swindle them out of money. The most prevalent fraud is selling coupons from “Yangcheng Lake crabs” that are actually harvested in nearby lakes or ponds.
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