上海419魔都花园

An elder has spent some 500,000 yuan ($68,000) online purchasing counterfeit 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 elderly.

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, an ordinary scroll, labeled with a "pawnshop seal" and identified as a "painting 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 promoting 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 live-streamers are nothing more than a deceptive 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.

The National Supervisory Commission (NSC) carried out in-depth probes into vanity projects, leading to the rectification or suspension of over 700 "unnecessary landscaping" projects, said a report shared during the most recent session of the National People's Congress (NPC) Standing Committee, according to People's Daily on Monday.

On Sunday, the committee's 13th session of the 14th NPC Standing Committee heard a report about addressing corruption and misconduct that directly affects the general public, from Liu Jinguo, director of the NSC.

The report said the NSC focused on efforts to tackle formalism and bureaucratism, aiming to ease the burdens on grassroots governance. It highlighted the NSC integrated approaches of improving disciplinary mechanisms, strengthening oversight and rectification, and publicly disclosing typical cases. The NSC conducted on-site inspections and unannounced visits across 13 provinces, regions, and municipalities.

The report detailed stringent investigations into excessive and frequent inspections and vanity projects, with 32 cases publicly disclosed. Nationwide, over 700 "blindly pursued landscaping" projects were halted or rectified as a result of these efforts.

One case in the report described how Xixian county in Xinyang, Central China's Henan Province, mandated the trimming of roadside weeds and wild trees to an exact height of about 10 cm during rural environmental improvement efforts, sparking significant public outrage.

The NSC conducted covert inspections and direct oversight, culminating in punitive measures against nine officials, including the Vice Mayor of Xinyang and the Secretary of Xixian County Committee of the CPC. The case was publicly disclosed nationwide.

In other cases, the NSC severely dealt with problems such as Liu Kewen, former Secretary of Hejing County Committee of the CPC in Northwest China's Xinjiang, who wasted resources by invalidly painting rural roadside walls white, and Cheng Zhiyi, former Secretary of Jiangjin District Committee of the CPC in Southwest China's Chongqing, who delayed addressing substandard drinking water quality in towns and villages, resulting in its deterioration over time. 

The NSC emphasized that these cases underscore the need for cultivating a proper perspective on governance and metrics of success among officials. 

Iris photography has emerged as a popular trend among youngsters, with many netizens and vendors posting related photos online, according to a report from China Youth Daily on Wednesday. However, experts cautioned that the new trend should be approached with care from both a legal and health perspective.

The process of capturing iris photographs is similar to eye exams conducted in hospitals. Individuals rest their chins on a tray while strong lights on either side illuminate their pupils. A camera positioned directly in front then takes a close-up shot of the iris, producing a unique image of the person's iris.

However, there are also concerns about the safety. "The iris, like a fingerprint, contains unique personal information through its texture," said Xu Ming, a professor at the college of cybersecurity at Hangzhou Dianzi University. 

Also, it is recommended to avoid strong light as much as possible and not to stare at light sources while taking photos, said Yu Pingping, director of the ophthalmology department at the Second Affiliated Hospital of Zhejiang University School of Medicine.