There are thousands of scams, understand the hidden dangers
Wearing red overalls
Shoulder repair kit
Routine inspection of gas at home
Replacement of gas fittings at a high price
Such a gas company "security inspector"
Have you ever been to your house?
On April 25, the People's Court of Jue County held a public hearing of a case of door-to-door fraud by impersonating a staff member of a gas company, which was related to people's livelihood, and some county people's congress deputies walked into the court to pay attention to the trial of the case.
Case review
Between November 2023 and January 2024, defendant Luo invited defendant Wen to pretend to be a staff member of a natural gas company, buy clothes printed with the words "China Resources Gas" online, and purchase cheap natural gas hoses and fittings and other accessories from the Internet and the store in Tengda Town, Junlian County, and successively went to the homes of farmers such as Huangni Village, Xinmin Village, Mutan Town, Junlian County, and Longjing Village, Tengda Town, Junlian County, falsely claiming that the natural gas hoses were aging, replacing the natural gas hoses and fittings in the homes of 24 farmers, and defrauding the above-mentioned farmers of a total of 5,178 yuan. It was confirmed by Hengsheng Natural Gas Company that Luo and Wen were not staff members of Hengsheng Company, and they had no gas engineering installation qualifications, and their behavior violated Articles 13 and 29 of the Regulations on the Management of Construction Enterprise Qualifications, Articles 13 and 29 of the Sichuan Provincial Gas Management Regulations, and Articles 28, 30 and 36 of the Regulations on the Administration of Urban Gas. Luo and Wen illegally installed 14 households in the house had gas leakage from the connecting hose joints of gas appliances, and the connecting hoses in front of the stove of gas appliances used on site did not meet the requirements of the specification. Hengsheng Company has rectified all the residents who were illegally modified by Luo and Wen.
Court decision
The court held that the defendants Luo and Wen fabricated facts for the purpose of illegal possession and defrauded others of their property, and the amount was relatively large, and their conduct constituted the crime of fraud. Defendants Luo X and Wen X truthfully confessed the facts of the crime, and there are circumstances of confession, and they may be given a lighter punishment. Defendants Luo X and Wen X admit guilt and accept punishment, and may be given a lenient disposition.
During the trial, the defendants Luo and Wen also deeply realized their mistakes, realized that they were greedy for small profits, and illegally modified the residents' gas pipelines to bring serious safety hazards to the residents, shed tears of repentance, and returned the fraudulent funds to the victims in court. In the end, Luo and Wen were sentenced to eight months in prison and fined.
In the next step, the Jue County Court will continue to make efforts to crack down on fraud and crime, make every effort to build a solid social security barrier, create a harmonious and stable social environment, continuously improve the people's sense of security and satisfaction, and strive to promote the construction of a safe Jue County.
Links to legal provisions
Article 266 of the Criminal Law of the People's Republic of China:
where public or private property is defrauded, and the amount is relatively large, a sentence of up to three years imprisonment, short-term detention or controlled release is to be given, and/or a fine; where the amount is huge or there are other serious circumstances, a sentence of between 3 and 10 years imprisonment and a concurrent fine is to be given; where the amount is especially huge or there are other especially serious circumstances, a sentence of 10 or more years imprisonment or indefinite imprisonment is to be given, and a concurrent fine or confiscation of property. Where this Law provides otherwise, follow those provisions.
Judge's tip
You need to know about these scams involving gas "cloaks":
1. Charge for security checks. "Natural gas inspectors" come to their homes to collect security fees ranging from one to another, or force the sale of products on the grounds that stoves, water heaters, and connecting pipes are broken, and sometimes force residents to replace them. In fact, there is no charge for the routine security checks provided by natural gas companies.
2. Change the management of small advertisements. "Pipe and meter transfer experts" posted small advertisements in the community, and even fraudulently used the logo of the natural gas company to take advantage of the owner's kitchen decoration needs to change the gas pipeline, and came to the door to carry out the relocation. Not only is this illegal but also dangerous, and it can also leave a safety hazard in your home. If required, the gas company's professionals can carry out pipe changes and meter shifts.
3. If you don't buy gas appliances, you won't ventilate. In the community where the natural gas meter is being hung up and the gas is about to be ventilated, fake "natural gas installation workers" come to the door and forcibly demand the purchase of gas appliances, and the installation will charge hundreds of yuan, claiming that "if you don't buy it, you won't be ventilated".
Everyone should be vigilant against these behaviors.
What should I do if I encounter such scams?
In fact, "gas fraud" is a fraud method that has only appeared in recent years, and we should pay attention to the following points when encountering the so-called "gas company staff" for door-to-door maintenance:
Don't trust the staff of the so-called gas company that provides door-to-door service. If the identity of the other party is not known, they should be asked to show their work ID and confirm the name of the sales unit on their receipt. If you still can't tell, you can call the customer service number of your local gas company to confirm.
Don't buy products that are sold by unknown people. If you do need to replace the gas pipe, please contact the regular gas company to replace it. Residential gas alarms are safety auxiliary equipment and are not mandatory for all households. The alarm has a positive effect on ensuring the safety of residents, but it is not only possible to buy a specific brand, and consumers can purchase it through formal channels according to their own needs.
In addition, with the advent of an aging society, there are more and more fraud crimes targeting the elderly, and the elderly will not only suffer economic losses, but also suffer a huge physical and mental blow, and be wary of the following 9 types of fraud specifically targeting the elderly:
1. "Investment and Wealth Management" scams
Criminals use high returns and low risks as bait to lure the elderly into joining fake investment platforms and impersonate "mentors" to induce them to invest. Let the elderly taste the sweetness for the first time with a small rebate, and then "put a long line to catch a big fish", constantly inducing them to increase the amount of investment, and finally unable to withdraw.
2. "Housing for the elderly" scam
In the name of "housing for the elderly", criminals trick the elderly into applying for real estate mortgages, and then use the borrowed money to buy the financial products they recommend, once the capital chain is broken or the company runs away, they will face high debts, unable to repay the "loan", the house will be recovered, and eventually the house will be empty.
3. "Social Security Agency" scam
Criminals falsely claim to know the staff of the Social Security Bureau and other departments, or pretend to be staff of banks and insurance companies, falsely claiming that they can make up the "social security" and "pension insurance" on their behalf, and run away with the money after collecting the relevant fees.
4. "Cultural Collectibles" scam
Criminals use the bait to help the elderly auction their collections, fabricate high prices, trick the elderly into entrusting them to auction on their behalf, and charge high "service fees"; or they pass off some handicrafts as high-end collectibles, falsely promising that there will be a large room for value-added in the short term, and tricking the elderly into buying them at high prices.
5. "Wellness" scams
Criminals use free physical examinations and prizes as bait to attract the elderly to participate in activities such as "health lectures" and "expert free consultations", and use "ancestral secret recipes" as gimmicks to fabricate or exaggerate the efficacy of products to trick the elderly into buying "health care products".
6. Offering "pension services" scams
In the name of pre-selling pension beds and fictitious pension service projects, criminals deceive the elderly into depositing large amounts of pre-deposited consumption investment and defraud the elderly of money by promising high-interest returns, enjoying the priority residence right of beds, discounting check-in, and paying membership dues.
7. Investing in "pension projects" scams
Criminals deceive the elderly of money by encouraging them to invest in pension insurance projects, invest in nursing homes, purchase pension apartments, invest in health care bases, regular after-sales rebates, and pay high dividends.
8. "Twilight Love" scam
The "twilight love" scam is a kind of "marriage and dating fraud", in which criminals take advantage of the lack of emotion and loneliness of single elderly people to develop a "romantic relationship" through the Internet or text messages, and then make up various reasons to ask for money.
9. "Low-cost travel" scams
Criminals use "low-cost tours" and "free tours" as gimmicks to induce the elderly to buy health care products and luxury products through coercion, inducement, bundled sales and other means.
▍Editing source: Jue County People's Court|The copyright belongs to the original author
▍ Comprehensive editor: Jue County Doudou