A “porcelain bumper” gang that fakes accidents to extort motorist victims is busted by Jiangmen Public Security police. Photo: Jiangmen Public Security.
Source:
https://scmp.com/news/people-culture/article/3207220/porcelain-bumpers-curse-somali-highways-hits-chinese-streets-road-racketeers-ramp-crime-spree-ahead People & Culture
‘Porcelain bumpers’: curse of ‘Somali highways’ hits Chinese streets as road-racketeers ramp up crime spree ahead of Lunar New Year
- Chinese police bust nine criminal gangs who targeted road users by creating fake traffic accidents then demanded victims pay compensation
- Crime has become so prevalent that the type of highway robbery involved has been compared to activities of Somali pirates off coast of Africa
A number of crime syndicates, known as “porcelain bumper” gangs, who extort money from motorists by staging fake accidents, have been taken down by police in southern China’s Guangdong province in the run-up to Lunar New Year. Photo: SCMP Composite.
Police in southern China have detained more than 60 people over a fake road accident compensation racket centred on stretches of road which have become known as “Somali highways” due to the rampant nature of the crime.
Nine gangs involving 61 fraudsters were rounded up by police in Guangdong in the first two weeks of the New Year in connection with a string of so-called “crash-for-cash” crimes on roads in the province.
The extent of the crimes was outlined in a statement issued by the provincial police department on Weibo on January 16.
Investigations revealed that the scammers, known as professional “porcelain bumpers” in Chinese, often drove rented luxury cars with fake license plates and approached target vehicles before throwing an iron nut at the target car to create a bang giving the impression to the other driver that there had been a collision.
They then force the driver to pull over and create scratches on the vehicle with sandpaper while its driver is distracted.
In many cases, police said, the racketeers carry an urn with them to pretend they have just lost a family member and do not have time to involve the police.
Altogether six vehicles along with 28 fake license plates, one urn, 28 bank cards, and a dozen iron nuts have been seized from the nine gangs, the provincial police said in the January 16 statement.
“Porcelain bumping”, or pengci, is not a new trick to China’s streets. Typically, involves a swindler throwing himself in front of a vehicle and trying to claim compensation for his self-inflicted injuries.
Sometimes the road racketeers pretend they are on the way to a funeral by carrying an urn, telling victims they have no time to involve the police. Photo: Shutterstock.
The major highway version of “porcelain bumpers” only evolved in recent years as con artists sought to increase their ill-gotten gains.
They are particularly common on highways in Guangdong province, leading online observers to compare them to high-seas piracy off the coast of Somalia in Africa.
Last year, authorities in the province busted 43 gangs involved in 136 cases detaining 157 people, according to a government radio programme on January 17.
Recent actions against such fraudsters are part of a law-and-order crackdown ahead of the Chinese New Year.
The provincial police department has pledged to “crack down on whatever crime that is rampant” in a work conference on January 13, stressing several crimes including “porcelain bumping”.