Recently, there has been a significant news in the cryptocurrency circle: a well-known investor 'Da Tao' was allegedly defrauded of 200 million RMB. Initially, many thought it was a rumor, but after cross-verifying information from various sources, it can be basically confirmed that this is a carefully orchestrated scheme involving emotions and money that has continued since 2021—the mastermind is a woman named 'Zhang'.

The acquaintance chapter: The beginning of the sweet trap


  1. Chance encounter with Zhang
    The story began in 2021. Teacher Da Tao met 'Zhang' in a cryptocurrency group chat. The female party claimed to be born in '99, a beautiful girl who liked to trade cryptocurrency. In reality, she was later confirmed to be born in '87, having gone through two marriages and has a son. She is one of the masterminds of the scam, in long-term 'cooperation' with two other seasoned fraudsters—Yang and Lu.


  2. Disguised persona
    In the early stages of setting the trap, Zhang was very skillful, sending good morning and good night messages daily and sharing 'selfies' to create a feeling of romance, while lamenting her poor family background and claiming to be supported by 'Prince Qin' from a bank in Nantong, Jiangsu (but emphasized that the other party 'had physiological issues and therefore did not touch her')—a set of 'tragic persona' akin to a melodramatic novel, successfully winning Teacher Da Tao's sympathy.


  3. 'Billionaire sister's' illusion
    She boasted that she started an oil business through Prince Qin's resources, owned several gas stations, and was involved in Moutai, masks, and shipping businesses, even claiming to have over 100 million in a Swiss bank account, and several billion in cash on hand—essentially, the kind of paper-thin wealthy woman dream that sounds 'unbelievably rich'.


  4. Testing if the person is naive and rich
    Once Zhang claimed to have lost 400,000 in business, Teacher Da Tao immediately transferred 2.5 million U to her to 'cover up'. This action confirmed for Zhang that 'Da Tao is a fat sheep' that could be slaughtered—she personally got involved, preparing to launch the scam.


  5. The first glimpse of the true self
    It wasn't until the end of 2022 that the two met offline for the first time. Zhang had repeatedly declined, claiming to be 'too busy', but in reality, she weighed as much as 200 pounds and was ashamed to meet people. After undergoing gastric sleeve surgery to lose weight to 120 pounds, she finally showed up, but was still 'ugly enough that a mask couldn't hide it'. Nevertheless, Teacher Da Tao, due to the feelings accumulated from years of online romance, did not give up on this relationship.


Fraud chapter: Step-by-step breakdown of the 200 million scam


  1. June 2022: The false investment introduction
    Zhang collaborated with Lu to claim they were running a 'Yijie Gas Card' business, guaranteeing a minimum return of 10% per month. Teacher Da Tao initially invested 10 million, only to receive dividends for two months before there was no further news.


  2. November 2022: The mask scam
    During the pandemic, Teacher Da Tao was tricked into purchasing masks worth 8 million, only to receive moldy inferior products.


  3. Account freeze panic
    During the withdrawal process, Da Tao’s bank card was frozen. Zhang and Lu claimed it was related to accounts of oil and mask companies, stating it was a 'national case' that needed to be smoothed over. As a result, Da Tao had to provide about 30 million in advance.


  4. February 2023: Sweet Lamborghini Valentine's Day
    Zhang gifted Da Tao a Lamborghini worth 4.6 million, enhancing the sense of trust.


  5. April 2023: Ferrari scam
    Da Tao wanted to buy a Ferrari, first transferring 7 million, and then Zhang asked for another 7 million under the pretext of 'company purchasing needing to go through accounts'.


  6. May-July 2023: Tax crisis scam
    Zhang claimed that buying the car involved tax issues and that they were being targeted, scamming another 30 million to 'handle the case'.


  7. August 2023: Money laundering intimidation
    Someone claiming to be a 'police officer' approached, saying the Shandong special investigation team was investigating Da Tao for money laundering. Zhang claimed to have spent 64 million to 'settle' the matter, leaving Da Tao to cover the remaining 36 million.


  8. October 2023: Old case resurfaces
    The mask incident was brought up again, accusing Yang of being involved, and scamming another 10 million.


  9. November-December 2023: Employee scapegoat scam
    Liu was arrested, and Zhang claimed it was necessary to 'smooth over relationships', scamming another 10 million.



Continuing: The scheme escalates

Various reasons such as 'case handling', 'relationship smoothing', 'fines and freezes' emerged one after another, demanding millions each time.

1. May 2024: Zhang's self-directed arrest
Zhang claimed she was arrested while cooperating with the investigation, and Lu asked Da Tao for 600,000 to 'smooth things over'. After Zhang was released, she scammed another 2 million.

2. June 2024: Deleting the anti-fraud list scam
Claiming to be able to delete the list through 'XX High Court connections', demanding 1.2 million.

3. July 2024: The scam continues, Da Tao goes bankrupt
By July, Da Tao had sold supercars, and funds were exhausted. Only then did he wake up and start gathering evidence to report the case. Shockingly, after reporting, Zhang even accompanied him to the police station...

4. Conclusion: Released from prison in 37 days at lightning speed
The so-called fraud gang was released just 37 days after being arrested, leaving countless questions and anger.

Nangong's commentary: A beggar on the street may only cost you 3 or 5 bucks at most; but a 'rich woman' can take 200 million from your pocket.

The same plot continues to unfold, only the stage gets more luxurious and the actors increasingly 'high-end'.

Look at Brother Da Xiang, mingling in high-end circles of rich second-generation people, meeting so-called 'restaurant magnates', and ultimately getting scammed out of tens of millions.
Then look at 'Bi Te Wu', attending high-end meetings in the cryptocurrency circle, meeting the 'master of ancient coins', and just like that, 80 bitcoins went down the drain.

In this day and age, it's not the schemes that deceive, but that little fantasy in your heart of 'I can make a profit from this'. Don't say anyone is foolish; only when you are scammed do you realize who the prey really is.