A variety of scams are constantly emerging on the Chinese mainland. Recently, a netizen in Jiangxi received three unfamiliar packages in quick succession, only to find out upon opening them that they were all power banks. After some online research, it was discovered that this could be a new type of scam, leading the individual to report it to the authorities.
On March 9, a netizen based in Jiangxi posted a video claiming that on that day, she inexplicably received three courier packages. Upon opening them, she found that each contained the exact same power bank.
According to the netizen, Ms. Li, who spoke to “Qilu Evening News” on March 11, she had never purchased these power banks herself. “The sender information on the courier slip belonged to a Mr. Huang from Chaoshan, and the recipient information, including my address and phone number, was all correct,” she stated.
Initially, she thought it might have been a mistaken delivery or a purchase made by a family member, but after inquiries, it was confirmed that no one had placed an order. She then researched online on how to handle the situation, with some internet users warning her that this could be a new type of scam. Some even shared similar experiences of power bank virus scams.
On the morning of March 11, Ms. Li handed over the power banks to the local police station and filed a report. The authorities confirmed that there were indeed cases of power bank scams, but they needed to professionally dismantle and test these power banks to determine if they were involved in fraud.
Reports indicate that Ms. Li’s experience is not an isolated case. Similar incidents have occurred in multiple locations before. The police have revealed that scammers will modify regular power banks, implanting special chips inside. When connected to a phone, the chip attempts to establish a data connection with the phone. If the user mistakenly clicks on the “trust this device” pop-up, malicious programs can infiltrate the phone, stealing personal information, bank account passwords, and even remotely controlling the phone for transfers.