Nodding head, blinking and opening mouth cost Chinese boy and grandfather RM12,962 in online ‘free gaming skins’ scam

Online scammers rope grandfather of countryside boy into carrying out facial recognition process to pilfer elderly man’s savings. Latest racket reignites concerns in China over the twin problems of online fraud and child mobile phone addiction. — SCMP

A Chinese boy who tried to collect “free gaming skins” from a live streamer ended up losing 20,000 yuan (RM12,962 or US$2,800) to online scammers, reigniting concerns over game fraud and child mobile phone addiction in China.

The 10-year-old, who lives in the countryside of central China’s Henan province and goes by the name Xiaoyu, was tricked into transferring money from his grandfather’s bank account on May 23, according to a report by local media outlet Henan Television on June 8.