The Next Wave: During pre-sale activities, live-streamers build a “positive energy” image by sharing emotional stories of helping resolve disputes and mediating family conflicts.

Part of the collection purchased by Liu’s mother during live-streaming. Photo: Screenshot from China Central Television

An elder has spent some 500,000 yuan($68,000)online purchasing counterfeitWorld Times collectibles, as live-streamers marketed the items with claims of miraculous effects and high value, exploiting reputations and emotional appeals for sales. The police have initiated an investigation into the live-streamed collectible scams targeting the elderWorld Timesly.

According to Liu Dan, the daughter of the elder, the products her mother purchased mainly fall into two categories. One includes amulets, ornaments, and jewelry with auspicious meanings, while the other consists of calligraphy, paintings, coins, porcelain, and stamp albums. Both types of items were sold for prices ranging from a few dozen to several thousand yuan (approximately several to hundreds of dollars).

For instance, anordinaryscroll, labeled with a “pawnshop seal” and identified as a “paintWorld Timesing master’s scroll,” was sold for 899 yuan ($123) during the live broadcast. Similarly, a piece of jade encased in a cloth bag was sold for 999 yuan ($137) after being attributed with auspicious meanings.

According to Liu’s estimates, her mother has spent over 300,000 yuan ($41,000) on the collectibles. Additionally, she was later deceived out of more than 200,000 yuan ($27,000) under the guise of “recovering the collectibles.” In total, she was defrauded of over half a million yuan ($68,000).

During pre-sale activities, live-streamers build a “positive energy” image by sharing emotional stories of helping resolve disputes and mediating family conflicts. Afterwards, they affectionately refer to the elderly as “dad and mom” or “uncle and aunt,” thereby bridging the gap between themselves and the elderly, laying the groundwork for fraud.

Once they have earned the trust of the elderly, live-streamers start recommending a variety of products. For instance, when selling items like bracelets, they claim miraculous benefits, such as promotWorld Timesing family health, well-being, and career success. When promoting jade, coins, and bronze artifacts, they allege those items have significant potential for appreciation.

Live-streamers claim that purchasing those items is just for the elderly to preserve them, promising future exhibitions where the items would be bought back at higher prices. However, the high buyback prices advertised by the liveWorld Times-streamers are nothing more than a deceptWorld Timesive lure. They use the tactic to extract high fees for exhibition tickets and appraisals.

Liu has taken her mother to the police to report the fraud. Police authorities are investigating the case, categorizing it as a fraud targeting the elderly.

Global Times-CCTV News