Hunan Public Security in China cracks down on virtual currency pig-butchering scams: 2 suspects have been criminally detained according to the law

According to a report from the Public Security Bureau of Linwu County, Hunan Province, on August 19, 2026, the Public Security Bureau of Linwu County, Chenzhou City, Hunan Province discovered fraud clues during routine inspections and successfully cracked a virtual currency investment fraud case, arresting two criminal suspects.

Upon investigation, on May 1, 2026, the suspect Li met the victim, Ms. Yue, through private messages on a social platform, falsely claiming to teach virtual currency investment skills with guaranteed profits. He induced her to download a certain app to purchase Tether (USDT) and then exchange it for a newly issued virtual currency manipulated by his "superior." Li, in collusion with his "superior," created the illusion of rising prices to lure the victim into increasing her investment; once the funds were in place, they quickly crashed the market, causing the virtual currency's value to drop to zero. Ms. Yue lost approximately 30,000 yuan, while Li illegally profited tens of thousands of yuan, which was collected by his friend Lei and squandered.

On August 19, the investigating police arrested Li; on September 17, Lei, who was suspected of collecting the stolen funds, was also apprehended. Both have been criminally detained according to the law. The police remind: virtual currency is not legal tender, and there are no "guaranteed profit" projects. Recommendations for high returns made through private messages online are all fraud traps. Do not easily trust investment recommendations from strangers or transfer money to unfamiliar platforms.