A man in China was arrested by police after he executed a plan to scam hotels and blackmail them into giving him compensation in the form of not just a free stay but also money. The man reportedly came up with this scheme after running out of funds he was supposed to use to enrol in college.
How did the man run the scam?
According to the South China Morning Post (SCMP), the 21-year-old man, known by his surname Jiang, would check in at hotels and stage his props, which included cicadas, dead cockroaches, used condoms, and strands of hair. He would then complain about the hotel's unsanitary conditions and use the opportunity to scam them out of money or free items.
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“Over a span of 10 months, Jiang frequently stayed at hotels, sometimes checking into three or four different ones in a single day. He would exploit minor flaws or plant insects, bugs, and hair to threaten hotels with complaints or online exposure, demanding free stays or compensation,” a police officer from Linhai in Zhejiang told the outlet.
How did he get caught?
He successfully scammed several hotels until one of them reported him to police after he tried extorting them, alleging hygiene issues. An anonymous source working with one of the hotels the man scammed reportedly told the outlet that the establishments started communicating within themselves and identified Jiang as a customer who had raised similar complaints during his stay at different places.
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{{/usCountry}}He successfully scammed several hotels until one of them reported him to police after he tried extorting them, alleging hygiene issues. An anonymous source working with one of the hotels the man scammed reportedly told the outlet that the establishments started communicating within themselves and identified Jiang as a customer who had raised similar complaints during his stay at different places.
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{{/usCountry}}“His complaints about supposed bugs and hair in the rooms were alarming. Upon discussing these incidents with several other hotels, we noticed a recurring pattern with this guest,” the staff member said.
Preliminary investigation after Jiang’s arrest from a local hotel revealed 23 packets containing items he used to stage his scam. Further investigation revealed that since last year, he has stayed in over 300 hotels and successfully scammed 63 of those establishments. To date, he has extorted a total of $5,200.