'Working 12 hours a day, earning $100,000 a month, when the mining machine starts, gold flows in!' Such 'high return' rhetoric has led many overseas male investors into traps. Recently, the police in Hunan You County successfully dismantled a USDT fraud operation disguised as 'mine owners,' capturing three suspects and seizing over 30 mobile phones, more than 100 overseas SIM cards, and a large amount of instant coffee packaging and cigarette butts, restoring a '996-style' crazy fraud routine.

'Mine Owner' Setup: High return rhetoric specifically targets overseas males.

According to police reports, this fraud gang has been active since June 2025, with an average member age of 28, all being local residents of You County without fixed occupations. They published 'mining investment' advertisements through social platforms and overseas forums, claiming to be 'senior miners' and using 'Bitcoin mining machine hosting' and 'USDT high-interest wealth management' as gimmicks, declaring 'Invest 100,000 USDT for a monthly return of 15%, with no risks.'

To enhance credibility, gang members meticulously designed 'personas':

- 'Mine Owner' Persona: The leader Zhang (male, 32 years old) pretended to be a 'mine owner with 500 mining machines in Kazakhstan,' frequently posting videos of mining machine operations and bank transaction screenshots on his social media.

- 'Technical Consultant' Persona: Member Li (male, 26 years old) pretended to be a 'blockchain engineer,' explaining the 'USDT arbitrage principle' with professional jargon, claiming that 'through computing power mining plus arbitrage trading, the returns far exceed traditional wealth management.'

- 'Customer Service' Persona: Member Wang (male, 29 years old) was responsible for 'after-sales,' responding to inquiries with a 'thoughtful' attitude, inducing victims to download non-compliant trading platforms and gradually transferring their assets.

Police investigations reveal that the gang's targets are highly precise—over 26 years old, with stable incomes, overseas males (mainly from Southeast Asia and the Middle East). The gang used big data to screen users on social platforms, targeting this demographic's characteristics of 'desiring high returns and having some understanding of blockchain but lacking experience,' customizing rhetoric to attack their 'wealth anxiety.'

'996-style' fraud routine: Instant coffee + cigarette butts pile up the 'dream of getting rich.'

When the police raided the scene, the hideout was located on the top floor of a residential building in You County. The room was cluttered with over 30 mobile phones (all logged into multiple social media accounts), more than 100 overseas SIM cards (used to evade platform risk control), and a half-height pile of instant coffee packaging, with cigarette butts scattered everywhere. According to gang members, to commit fraud 'efficiently,' they started working at 4 a.m. and finished at 1 a.m., working over 12 hours a day—this is exactly what the police refer to as the '996-style fraud routine.'

'They used a 'script' with strict division of labor: Zhang was responsible for 'showing the mining machines' to build the persona, Li was responsible for 'discussing technology' to reduce suspicion, and Wang was responsible for 'urging orders' to facilitate transfers.' According to the investigating police, once victims are hooked, the gang would establish trust through 'small rebates' (such as a 5% return in the first week), and then lure them to increase investments with reasons like 'expanding mining machine capacity' and 'catching the bull market,' ultimately disappearing with the funds.

Preliminary investigations show that this gang has committed 12 crimes, involving amounts exceeding $800,000 (approximately 5.7 million RMB), with victims all being overseas males, including a single case with the largest amount defrauded reaching $200,000. Currently, three suspects have been criminally detained for fraud, and the investigation is still ongoing.

The police remind: Beware of 'high return' traps; overseas investments require three checks.

In response to such cases, the police in You County have issued a warning.

1. Check Qualifications: Legitimate blockchain investment projects must possess financial licenses, which can be verified through official websites or regulatory bodies (such as the SEC in the United States, MAS in Singapore).

2. Check Transaction Records: Request the other party to provide blockchain browser records of mining machine earnings (e.g., BTC.com), as fictional 'mining machine transaction records' cannot be verified on the blockchain.

3. Check Transfers: Any request to transfer funds to private accounts or informal trading platforms is considered fraud. Transactions involving stablecoins like USDT must be conducted through compliant platforms such as Coinbase or Binance.

'Such fraud exploits victims' desire for 'financial freedom' and uses 'professional rhetoric' to package the scam,' said the head of the anti-fraud center of You County Public Security Bureau, adding that the next step will be to collaborate with internet and financial regulatory departments to strengthen monitoring of social platforms and overseas forums, resolutely curbing the spread of such fraud.

Conclusion: From the 'myth of mining machines' to 'getting rich quick with USDT,' the methods of scammers are constantly evolving, but the core rhetoric of 'high returns with no risks' remains unchanged. The police remind that investments must be rational and not fall into 'well-designed' traps due to momentary greed.