By Ethel Tseng
Copyright tnp
Driven by gambling debts, a woman promised low-priced Apple products and investment schemes that offered high returns, but had no actual products to sell.
Ultimately, 40-year-old Cheng Jinhua (transliterated) scammed 18 people, including friends, colleagues, and online customers, out of more than $270,000 in just four months.
On Sept 16, Cheng pleaded guilty to five out of a total of 19 charges.
According to Shin Min Daily News, Cheng deceived the victims between September and December 2022. They included colleagues and contractors from the logistics company where she worked and customers from online shopping platforms, as well as her friends.
Investigations revealed that she targeted her colleagues and business associates with fake investment schemes.
Cheng claimed they could purchase Apple phones at below-market prices and invited them to invest, falsely promising returns of 15 to 25 per cent.
She also targeted customers from an e-commerce platform with the same investment schemes, or by offering to sell them electronic products at a low price.
With friends, Cheng used a combination of both investment scams to persuade them to part with their money.
Scammer had no products to sell
Despite her claims of lucrative investment opportunities, Cheng had no products to sell or resell, and the funds she collected were used to repay gambling debts and for personal use.
The prosecution said that between September and December 2022, she cheated the 18 victims of $276,808. To date, Cheng has only repaid approximately $38,150 to 13 of the victims.
Among the victims was a 19-year-old man. As he was a regular customer since August 2022, Cheng offered to sell him electronic products at a low price for him to resell.
The victim spent over $14,000 on multiple pairs of headphones and several iPhones between Aug 4 and Sept 13, 2022, but did not receive the products.
Continued to scam while under investigation
Even as victims began reporting the matter to the police, Cheng continued to carry out her scams.
The prosecution stated that victims started filing reports on Oct 2, 2022.
A week later, the police requested that she come in for questioning, but she committed five more offenses while under investigation.
The prosecution has asked for a jail term of 33 to 35 months.
Cheng was arrested on Feb 10, 2023, and remained in custody until Feb 24 for a psychiatric evaluation. The report indicated that she did not suffer from any mental illness. She was released on bail on Feb 27, 2023.
As Cheng requested time to attend to personal matters, the judge has adjourned the case until Oct 1 for sentencing.
