A Chinese health centre scammed more than 100 elderly people out of a total of over 10 million yuan (US$1.5 million) by putting soy sauce in an intestinal cleansing liquid to dupe them into thinking they had toxins in their bodies.
The Beijing police have arrested more than 30 people involved on suspicion of fraud.
They cracked the case after the family of a woman in her 60s discovered she had spent 700,000 yuan (US$103,000) in the health centre.
The victim, surnamed Li, bought numerous expensive treatments, priced at tens of thousands of yuan per session.
When Li had run out of money and decided to give up the treatment, clinic staff even asked her to pawn her golden bracelet, saying: “If your illness cannot be treated, what do you need money for?”
Li first went to the health centre to buy a 38-yuan (US$6) foot massage voucher.
The staff there were enthusiastic and caring towards her.
They also remembered people’s birthdays in a bid to give them the illusion that the staff cared more about them than their own children.
The Beijing police also said that they targeted affluent senior people who lived alone, or those who were emotionally lonely despite having children.
The staff would go to senior centres, or places where the elderly gather, and offer free “expert” medical consultations.
The fake experts would then tell the seniors that they were ill and required special, long-term treatment.
To convince them, they also performed intestinal cleansing for the seniors, and added dark soy sauce, a Chinese condiment often used to colour food while cooking, to the cleansing liquid, to dupe them into thinking that their bodies contained toxins.
The police said the health centre’s turnover reached more than 30 million yuan (US$4.5 million). An abnormal amount for such places.
One victim even spent over two million yuan (US$295,000).
The police said a large-scale fraud gang was involved, with over 20 shops masquerading as health centres in multiple Beijing districts.
The shops used fake experts to intimidate the seniors and prey on their loneliness and need for care.
By the end of 2025, China had 323 million people aged 60 and above, 23 per cent of the country’s population.
Of them, 60 per cent were reported to be empty-nesters, either without children or having children who live separately.
“There are many such health centres trapping seniors with free gifts. The industry needs urgent supervision,” said an online observer. -- South China Morning Post
