Chapter 103 Overseas Scams
The criminal gang Lin Ruoyan remembered had a leader in China named Xu Lifeng, who was a successful businessman in his thirties wearing gold-rimmed glasses and speaking with a Cantonese accent. His temperament and conversation were designed specifically for the target, and it was easy to confuse someone like the real daughter who was vain and had little substance.
The project mentioned by Xu Lifeng is an investment in a mine in a foreign country. It is particularly important to note that you only need to invest money and do not have to personally build and operate the factory. This saves time and effort and you just have to wait for dividends. The company promises a profit of up to 35%, and you can see profits in the first month.
This is actually about the same as the profit from real estate at that time. It seems to be real and not outrageously high. No wonder so many people were deceived.
A true heiress wouldn't be fooled at first. It was only after visiting an overseas mining project, seeing the bustling construction scene, and enjoying royal hospitality, that she became convinced of the project. She invested 50 million yuan and received a 30% "profit" in less than a month, or 15 million yuan in cash.
She believed what she saw with her own eyes, so after returning from abroad, she insisted on transferring another 300 million yuan, despite her brother's dissuasion. Earning 15 million yuan so easily made her inflated, and she was eager to prove that she could make money.
To be honest, the real daughter only had 300 million yuan left at the time. If she had used this money to spend prudently in China, on food, entertainment, and even just a few casual purchases, it would have lasted her three months. However, she was ambitious, hoping to make 100 million yuan in profits a month, a small investment for a big gain. Ultimately, the scammer absconded immediately after receiving the 300 million yuan, disappearing from the face of the earth.
Lin Ruoyan, who had read the original book, knew that the mine did exist. It was a high-quality nickel ore, and there were indeed Chinese private enterprises involved in it, seriously building factories and developing it. The future prospects were immeasurable.
This incident appeared in the book in July, and Xu Lifeng had probably already started scouting and researching this real daughter before that.
Lin Ruoyan knew Xu Lifeng was an alias. He used different identities to hook several "fish" in mainland China, making him a true master of time management. If that person really dared to come to her, she would report him to the relevant authorities, which would be considered as upholding justice.
The reason why Xu Lifeng was able to defraud money was not just a fabrication.
At the time, the mine in that country was indeed seeking investment from outsiders, hoping to attract more companies. Xu Lifeng's gang didn't invest a cent in the project, but simply bribed locals with a small amount of money and provided some seemingly reliable joint venture documents.
He took advantage of the information gap between China and foreign countries, the language barrier, and various fabricated excuses to deceive various wealthy businessmen into investing with high profit returns. In fact, he used the investment capital of later investors to repay the "profits" of previous investors to cover up the lie, in order to gain the trust of victims and defraud them of higher investments. His tricks have always worked.
Because they had already agreed on a profit-sharing agreement with the local tyrants, the group was able to bring merchants to the mine and easily secure a warm reception from local officials. They then produced intimate photos with local officials, along with various "official" documents, to guarantee that the project was already in their pockets and that they were bringing in Chinese people to make a killing and expand the factory.
In addition to the high returns, the scam was successful because they took advantage of the newly stable business environment in the local area. There were indeed mines being built there, and the development status was indeed real.
You have to know that the decades of peace and thriving development momentum that people in China have felt are like a fairy tale to people in many countries and regions abroad. They have never experienced peaceful days. Regimes change quickly, and multiple forces compete with each other. It is a blessing to be able to survive in the cracks.
Therefore, when foreigners want to invest in a certain place, they first check whether the local political situation is stable, and then whether they can take the money they earn with them. Some places have no moral principles and can open mines and factories, but the money they earn can only be spent in the local currency. They won't let you take it out of the country, which is almost robbery.
There are many bloody examples in the real world. Some big brands go abroad, such as Tianzhu, to invest and set up factories. They work hard for ten years, create tens of thousands of local jobs, and earn hundreds of billions of local currency. But they can't take the money away. The local currency depreciates too quickly, and the local products are not worth buying. The authorities arbitrarily pass a new bill, saying that if you evade taxes, your money will be confiscated, and ten years of work will be wasted in an instant.
In the early years, developed countries in Europe and the United States viewed mainland China with a similar mindset. Due to differing national ideologies, they feared that even if they made money investing, they wouldn't be able to take it with them. After all, China's foreign exchange controls weren't aligned with the global economy. It wasn't until China finally joined the WTO that it attracted significant foreign investment.
At that time, some countries around my country were also following the development path of the Western world, such as auctioning mines, allowing foreign capital to come in to mine, bringing advanced technology, hiring local workers, processing semi-finished products and shipping them out to develop the local economy.
The original intention of this mining project was certainly good, and the locals had put in a lot of effort in preparation, but criminal gangs had long been eyeing this piece of cake. They couldn't fool the locals who knew the situation well, but they could still trick mainland tourists with their money and quick bucks into making a quick buck.
After decades of improvement, China's public security is a global benchmark. Consequently, Chinese citizens are less aware of risks than those living on the brink of war and peril. It's easy to be blinded by the glitz and glamour of the world and overlook the webs of danger growing in the shadows.
It is still considered ethical to cheat people out of their money and let them go. The common practice in these places is to sell the money or kill the people after they have received it, leaving no evidence, to save trouble.
Since Lin Ruoyan remembered the whole story of the scam and the scammer had not shown up yet, she had to tell her brother about it. Her brother might not be fooled, but many bigwigs in the circle never lack naive children, so it is always good to be alert in advance.
The Lin Group, which my brother oversees, is currently engaged in manufacturing, and a large portion of its raw materials rely on imported nickel ore. Currently, nickel ore is only used as a raw material for stainless steel processing. However, with the rapid rise of new energy over the next decade or so, nickel, especially high-grade nickel matte, will be essential for the production of batteries and new energy vehicles, and its strategic value will suddenly reach a new level.
Unfortunately, the domestic nickel ore is of low grade, difficult to mine, and the reserves are not large, so the raw materials are heavily dependent on imports. Nickel mines in neighboring countries and regions are of great significance to China.
These were all news reports Lin Ruoyan had read in the real world. In the books, technology wasn't that advanced yet. The only nickel batteries associated with them were some kind of nickel-metal hydride batteries, used in removable batteries like cameras, cell phones, and toy cars. The demand for these wasn't as high as the profit margins for stainless steel pots and pans and car doors and windows. This wasn't a major part of her brother's business, but she had some exposure.
Lin Ruxu hadn't expected his sister to discuss this with him, and even to bring up the mining project in that country. Indeed, someone in the business community interested in mining had recently mentioned the project, and a specific contact person seemed to be named Xu Lifeng.
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