China student tricked into Myanmar scam released when gang realises he has ‘bright future’
After shaving his head, gang boss sets captive free, tells promising student to ‘study hard’ and ‘be good to parents.’
A student from northwestern China who was tricked into a scam in Myanmar was unexpectedly released after the gang learned he had a “bright future”.
Peng Yuxuan, 19, from Hanzhong City in Shaanxi province, had just retaken China’s national college entrance exam known as the gaokao in June. His scores and intended university have not been disclosed.
The Beijing News reported that Peng hoped to make some money over the summer holiday and went to Xi’an City with 800 yuan (US$110) from his family.
He met a woman on a job-hunting app who claimed she was recruiting live-stream hosts.
After telling Peng he was good-looking and could earn a lot, she offered to cover his travel expenses and flew him to Yunnan province in southwestern China.
On July 1, Peng told his friend, Xiaojia, that he had arrived in Kunming, the capital city of Yunnan, and that the woman who recruited him had booked his hotel.
He stayed in touch over the next few days, insisting he was “safe and free” and could “make big money”. He avoided explaining what the job was and asked Xiaojia not to tell his parents.
Xiaojia said Peng was constantly on the move, sharing photos of meals and live locations.
On July 4, Peng shared a final location from Meng’a Port, a major border crossing in Pu’er city in southwestern Yunnan near the Myanmar border, and then went silent.
Days later, Peng’s mother called him, but a stranger claiming to be from Myanmar picked up. Fearing her son had been trafficked, she alerted the police.
The case attracted national attention in China and sparked a police investigation in coordination with the Myanmar authorities.
According to Hongxing News, after arriving in Yunnan, Peng was transferred more than 10 times before ending up in a scam compound in Myanmar.
Though Peng was not forced to carry out any scams, his head was shaved.
Eventually, the ringleader approached him, noting that he was young and had just taken the gaokao. The boss said he had a “bright future” and did not belong there.
Peng said: “He told me they make money with ‘conscience’, so they let me go. He also told me to study hard and be good to my parents.”
It is unclear how the gang knew Peng had recently completed the national college entrance exam.
Myanmar soldiers drove Peng out of the compound and told him to find help from the United Wa State Army (UWSA).
After getting out of the car, he met a man who gave him food, and medicine, then took him to the UWSA Judicial Committee and contacted the Chinese authorities.
“When I realised I was rescued, I was so happy. I was finally going home,” said Peng.
On July 20, the UWSA in Myanmar handed over 20 Chinese scam suspects and 29 rescued individuals to Chinese authorities at Meng’a Port. Peng was among them.
The story has attracted more than 100 million views on social media.
One online observer said: “Peng was lucky in an unlucky situation. That fraud boss was not acting out of kindness. They were simply trying to make their crimes look less serious.”
“Young people need to stay alert, especially students with little social experience. There is no such thing as getting rich overnight,” said another.
Northern Myanmar has become a hub for telecoms fraud, with the United Nations estimating in 2023 that around 120,000 people were trafficked to work in scam call centres.
Crime rings lure young people from China and nearby countries with fake offers of well-paid jobs, then trap them using threats and violence.