A court in China has devised an innovative method of shaming and catching debtors – by inserting an amusement arcade claw machine above the heads of fugitives in bounty notices.
The animation strategy was introduced via an online post on June 2 by Hengfeng County People’s Court in Shangrao, Jiangxi province, in eastern China, according to a report by Star News.
It shows the debtor’s photo placed among stuffed toys in an arcade claw machine.
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The claw grabs the “head” of the debtor, dragging it to the machine’s exit, where the bounty notice is then revealed.
In this case the debtor is Feng Xiaoyuan from Zhuhai, Guangdong province, who owes a debt of 950,000 yuan (US$130,000).
It displays his photo, current address, the legal case against him and part of his identification number.
It also provides a bounty hotline number for informants and details a reward.
“The identity of the informant and any information provided will be kept confidential,” the notice says.
Debtors like Feng have failed to fulfil their debt repayment obligations despite having the ability to do so.
They often deliberately evade the law by concealing or transferring assets, one common tactic is transferring their assets to their children.
Such blacklisted people also have their economic activity curtailed, for example, being blocked from buying airline tickets.
Reaction to the claw machine innovation on social media has been generally positive.
One online observer said: “I would recommend its nationwide promotion. Catching these defaulters should be as easy and fun as catching stuffed toys!”
“It must be so embarrassing for these debtors. They might want to turn themselves in after seeing this animation,” said another.
A third person added: “Please make a multi-language version to scare those who have fled abroad. Also, please use real-life photos so people can easily recognise them.”
Some people raised concerns about portrait rights.
“Do criminals also have portrait rights? If they do they might file a counter law suit,” said one person.
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