China’s ‘soy sauce’ intestinal detox scam swindles over 100 seniors out of US$1.5 million
Police say health centre with ‘abnormal’ US$4.5 million turnover was part of organised fraud ring that preyed on loneliness of elderly
A Chinese health centre scammed more than 100 elderly people out of a total of over 10 million yuan (US$1.5 million) by putting soy sauce in an intestinal cleansing liquid to dupe them into thinking they had toxins in their bodies.
The Beijing police have arrested more than 30 people involved on suspicion of fraud.
They cracked the case after the family of a woman in her 60s discovered she had spent 700,000 yuan (US$103,000) in the health centre.
The victim, surnamed Li, bought numerous expensive treatments, priced at tens of thousands of yuan per session.
When Li had run out of money and decided to give up the treatment, clinic staff even asked her to pawn her golden bracelet, saying: “If your illness cannot be treated, what do you need money for?”