Claim discounts under your own real identity — do not buy virtual numbers to mass-register sockpuppets, and do not exploit loopholes for repeat claims

Claiming a coupon once under your real identity and one account is outside punishment. Mass-registering fake users or placing and accepting your own orders to claim more is treated as fraud. Reaching each province’s threshold (3000 to 10000 yuan) brings up to 3 years; at 30000 to 100000 yuan (3万 to 10万), 3 to 10 years. Couriers used virtual numbers at 0.1 yuan each to farm coupons and cashed out over 90000 yuan (9万余); 12 people in the same case were sentenced.

Cost

No money. Give up work from “coupon task groups.” If you find a platform loophole, leave it alone. The hard part is not treating discounts as income you can scale by copying.

Benefit

Defrauding others or public property of a relatively large amount brings up to 3 years, with a fine imposed together with or instead of imprisonment (sentenced and fined, or only fined). A huge amount or other serious circumstances bring 3 to 10 years plus a fine. An especially huge amount or other especially serious circumstances bring 10 years or more or life imprisonment, plus a fine or confiscation of property. The three bands — relatively large, huge, and especially huge — are set by each province within these ranges. Relatively large is 3000 yuan to 10000 yuan or more. Huge is 30000 yuan to 100000 yuan (3万 to 10万) or more; especially huge is 500000 yuan (50万) or more. Teaching methods to others or selling “tutorials” is sentenced as imparting criminal methods, up to 5 years; serious circumstances, 5 to 10 years; especially serious, 10 years or more or life imprisonment. Upstream and downstream traders in phone numbers and verification codes are sentenced for infringing citizens’ personal information, up to 3 years; especially serious, 3 to 7 years. Mass accounts, systems that auto-switch network addresses, and platforms that bulk-receive SMS codes are themselves expressly banned by Article 14 of the Anti-Telecom and Online Fraud Law. Illegal buying, selling, renting, or lending of phone cards and internet accounts, and helping others pass real-name checks, fall under Article 31. Violating Article 14: all earnings are confiscated, then a fine of 1 to 10 times earnings. If there were no earnings, or earnings under 50000 yuan (5万), a fine of up to 500000 yuan (50万); when circumstances are serious, detention for up to 15 days as well. Violating Article 31: the fine is likewise 1 to 10 times; if no earnings or earnings under 20000 yuan (2万), a fine of up to 200000 yuan (20万); when circumstances are serious, detention for up to 15 days as well. Taking part in telecom and online fraud short of a criminal sentence: detention for 10 to 15 days. Earnings are confiscated, then a fine of 1 to 10 times. If no earnings or earnings under 10000 yuan (1万), a fine of up to 100000 yuan (10万). Official case 1: Delivery rider Liu bought virtual phone numbers at 0.1 yuan each and registered as a new user on a platform. He claimed new-user coupons of 29 minus 15, placed orders, and resold goods to small shops for cash. He also used virtual numbers to invite each other and claim rewards of 2 to 20 yuan. He and rider Tan respectively obtained over 90000 yuan (9万余) and over 70000 yuan (7万余). The Shanghai Yangpu procuratorate charged 12 people with fraud; courts sentenced from 3 years 6 months down to 3 months of criminal detention. Official case 2: Wang exploited the timing gap between shop refunds and reclaiming virtual lottery coins. He refunded 1156 times, withdrew 224 figure items, amounting to over 249000 yuan (24.9万余). He also cashed out on a second-hand platform; the court sentenced him for fraud to 3 years suspended for 4 years, plus a fine of 30000 yuan (3万). During the proceedings he returned the proceeds and prepaid the fine, totaling 330000 yuan (33万). Official case 3: A ride-hailing platform’s new-user coupons and driver subsidies were taken by fake trips of “ordering and accepting your own rides,” spanning over 70 cities in 19 provinces, for over 2000000 yuan (200余万). The Chaoyang Longcheng procuratorate in Liaoning charged 163 people; all were convicted. Principals Huang and Cai were sentenced for fraud, infringing citizens’ personal information, and imparting criminal methods together (sentences for several crimes reckoned jointly) to 3 years 6 months each. Another 34 minor accessories were not prosecuted but still referred to police for administrative punishment (nationwide)

Notes

The line is not “how much you farmed” but whether you fabricated. Joining a promotion under your real identity, claiming once per account, and using the coupon on yourself is a discount the platform gave you. Registering fake users, fabricating trades, or hiding that you already refunded so the other side hands things over under a false belief is treated as fraud. Amount only decides how long the sentence is. EV makers’ charging services have been farmed the same way. In August 2026, Kankan News reported two people in Shanghai buying large numbers of virtual phone numbers and binding them in turn as sub-accounts on an EV maker’s app. Each number used “charge first, pay later” twice then unbound; no one paid the power bill, and charging opportunities were resold to truck drivers. The Pudong New Area procuratorate treated it as fraud, not theft, and approved arrest. That case has only media reporting, no judgment or official bulletin. Short of a criminal sentence there are still consequences: platforms can ban accounts, claw back discounts, and demand return of money you should not have had. Taking part in telecom fraud short of a crime still has a detention-and-fine band. “Someone in the group leads and pays me per order” does not change the nature of your own share. Teaching methods to others, or trafficking accounts and phone numbers, are separate crimes that are reckoned together. The beneficiary is you. Writing or selling scripts is in Section 11, item 3; selling cards or accounts is in Section 8, item 8 (lending a bank card) and item 16 of this section (do not lend your ID).

Sources · 7

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