China baker asked to hide US$2,800 inside cake as surprise at engagement party celebration tricked into dirty money scam
- China cash-in-cake trend sees deluge of videos hit social media
- Baker’s bank account frozen, police launch crime proceeds probe
The story of a bakery shop owner in China who became unwittingly embroiled in a dirty money racket after making a cake for a customer with 20,000 yuan (US$2,800) hidden inside it, has sparked much interest online.
Ordering a “money-hiding cake” is a popular way to present gifts on special occasions in China, social media is filled with videos showing recipients joyfully pulling out cash like tissues from a box.
However, the seemingly innocuous trend has landed a cake shop owner, surnamed Zhang, from Leling in Shandong province, eastern China, in hot water.
Zhang took an order through WeChat which asked him to embed the money inside a cake as a surprise at an engagement party.
Aware of the trend’s popularity and having previously received similar requests, Zhang initially had no suspicions and charged the customer for an eight-inch cake as requested.
Screenshots of their WeChat conversation showed the customer making the inquiry: “If I transfer 20,000 yuan to you, can you withdraw the money in cash for me? I’m currently busy.”
The shop’s customer service replied: “I’ll check with the boss.”
The customer then transferred the money into Zhang’s bank account, saying his family would collect the cake later.
However, what appeared to be a routine transaction quickly turned into an ordeal for Zhang when he discovered his bank account had been frozen soon after completing the order.
Investigations revealed that the 20,000 yuan transferred into his account was likely to have been the proceeds of a crime.
The case, reported by Jupai News, follows a similar incident over last Christmas in Hunan province, southern China, when a cake shop owner took a customer order for a money-hiding cake containing 10,000 yuan.
According to Rednet.cn, after completing the order, the owner also discovered her account had been frozen and was informed by police that she was potentially facilitating cash withdrawals that could be considered crimes.
The cake shop owners involved in these cases have attracted widespread sympathy on mainland social media.
“These days, any preventive measures prove to be useless,” said one online observer.
“I wonder how the merchants can prevent such traps? Of course, they cannot just let the customers go. The merchants are victims,” another said.
A third asked: “So, does this mean the merchant provided the cake and lost tens of thousands in cash, and could potentially be sued?”
