Google researchers disclose a set of security flaws that they claim could give hackers access to sensitive information on almost every modern computing device containing chips from Intel, AMD and ARM. Photo: VCG

Police in Foshan, South China's Guangdong Province, recently received a report from a woman who said she was swindled out of 600,000 yuan ($91,560) by hackers who she had employed to investigate a case in which her friend had been conned out of 170,000 yuan ($26,000). 

The friend, surnamed Bai, was the victim of a scam in November, 2019. In desperation, she told the woman, surnamed Qing, about her problem. Qing then sought help from a former colleague who claimed he had a connection with hackers that could help get her money back.

A total of 160,000 yuan was then spent on "investigation fees," while only 1,144 yuan, or 0.6 percent of the original sum, was recovered. 

The two women then said they no longer wanted the hackers' help, but the gang threatened to kill them unless they transferred 430,000 yuan to designated bank accounts. 

Local police arrested two suspects on December 11 at an apartment in Pingzhou after looking into the case, and discovered that the hacker had been Qing's former colleague all along.

Global Times