On January 7, 2026, the Shanghai Municipal Justice Bureau issued a notice warning about a new type of scam that uses fake "tasting cards" as an entry point, specifically naming criminal gangs that are completing the settlement of illicit funds through virtual currencies. This warning is not an isolated incident; during the same period, regulatory authorities in Yunnan, Gansu, Hainan, and other regions have also reportedly issued similar risk alerts, indicating that this method has transcended individual regions and is spreading across areas. The traditional deception that occurred in offline shopping scenarios is now deeply intertwined with the pseudo-anonymity of virtual currency transfers, making investigative paths obstructed and financial trails erased, rapidly evolving into a new challenge that regulatory authorities must confront head-on.
How a Tasting Card Becomes a Scam Entry Point
In these types of cases, the story often begins with a seemingly ordinary "supermarket tasting card." Scammers create fake promotional materials for supermarkets and chain stores, placing the cards on shelves or near cash registers, or distributing them through ground promotion methods, creating an offline atmosphere of promotional activities and member benefits. When consumers receive the card, it is difficult to discern its authenticity from the printing, copy, and scene setup, naturally guiding them to scan a QR code to join a group, believing they are merely participating in a common tasting or rebate activity. After joining the group, the scam gang will package a seemingly "official" and "legitimate" operational environment within the community, building trust through uniform avatars, announcements, and so-called customer service accounts, and then using typical phrases like "transfer first, then rebate," "top up to get more," and "limited time activity with limited spots" to induce victims to transfer funds to designated accounts or platforms. However, the specific operational process is often deliberately designed to be complex and layered to lower the other party's vigilance. In this process, the illusion of safety brought by real offline scenes combined with the collective atmosphere created by online communities makes this combination of "offline reach + online manipulation" more deceptive than traditional pure online scams, and more conducive to efficient dissemination. Once a pilot is successful in a certain area, the script and materials can be quickly replicated in more cities.
From Bank Cards to Virtual Currencies: The Disguise of Illicit Funds
Accompanying the evolution of these scams is a significant shift in the method of settling criminal proceeds. In the past, new types of telecom network fraud often relied on public and private bank cards and third-party payment channels for fund circulation. Nowadays, more and more gangs are beginning to introduce virtual currencies into the chain, directing victims' funds through intermediary accounts and off-exchange transactions into the on-chain world. In the virtual currency scenario, cross-border transfers do not require traditional bank clearing systems, allowing for fund transfers between multiple countries within minutes. The decentralized network lacks a single central control node, significantly reducing the paths for freezing and interception, while the pseudo-anonymous characteristics at the address level make funds appear as mere strings of characters, with the true identities behind them highly obscured. The Shanghai Municipal Justice Bureau and multiple regulatory authorities pointed out directly in their announcements that virtual currency settlements significantly increase the difficulty of case investigation and asset recovery. The "fund footprints" that could originally be traced step by step along bank card transaction flows are greatly diluted after cross-chain, mixed transactions, and multiple transfers. Even if law enforcement agencies grasp some clues, they often need to invest more professional resources and technical tools to restore the flow of funds in complex on-chain data.
Shanghai Speaks Out, Multiple Regions Follow: Risks are Spreading
On January 7, 2026, the Shanghai Municipal Justice Bureau issued a risk warning through official channels, clearly naming "beware of new forms of scams that induce transfers and rebates after scanning QR codes to join groups," and particularly emphasizing the concealment and harm of the fake "tasting card" scenario combined with virtual currency settlements. Almost simultaneously, according to information from a single source, judicial and regulatory authorities in Yunnan, Gansu, Hainan, and other regions also successively issued similar risk alerts, reminding local residents to be wary of telecom network fraud hidden behind "tasting," "gift vouchers," and "benefit cards." This cross-regional coordinated warning indicates, on one hand, that case clues and victim reports are no longer limited to a single city or province, and on the other hand, it conveys the regulatory authorities' emphasis and urgency regarding the rapid spread of this type of scam model. Unlike traditional reports targeting individual cases, the statements from various regions this time clearly carry a "model-level" warning meaning, aiming to identify the common risk paths behind specific cases and interrupt the spread of scams as much as possible before more people are "scanned."
The Tug-of-War Between Regulation and Crime: Who is Competing for Technological Advantage
The game surrounding fake "tasting cards" and the virtual currency settlements behind them is essentially a continuously escalating "cat-and-mouse game" between traditional telecom network fraud and new technological tools. On one side are criminal gangs constantly learning how to exploit social media, instant messaging software, and on-chain assets; on the other side are regulatory agencies attempting to fill technological gaps and update law enforcement tools within existing legal and regulatory frameworks. Currently, legal systems in various countries have relatively mature provisions for combating telecom fraud, but when criminal proceeds are settled through virtual currencies, judicial authorities often face practical constraints such as cross-border jurisdiction, anonymous transaction parties, and high technical thresholds, making traditional methods reliant on bank reporting and account freezing difficult to apply directly. To effectively govern the use of virtual currencies for settling criminal proceeds without outright denying technological innovation, it is necessary to systematically sort out key issues such as on-chain data evidence collection standards, cross-regional cooperation mechanisms, and the boundaries of compliance service provider responsibilities. Looking ahead, foreseeable regulatory trends will include more frequent and more specific risk alerts, centralized warnings after abstracting models for different regions and types of cases; establishing a closer cross-regional cooperation network among administrative, judicial, and technical departments to share intelligence on suspicious addresses and fund paths; and promoting the construction of on-chain tracking capabilities, enhancing the identification and freezing efficiency of suspicious fund flows through collaboration with technology institutions that have tracing capabilities, so that the "disguise" of virtual currencies no longer becomes a natural refuge for scam crimes.
From Pitfall Guides to Compliance Pressure: Where to Go Next
From the perspective of ordinary users, the first line of defense against these scams still lies in their own hands. In daily consumption, one should remain highly vigilant against any scenario that uses "tasting cards," "gift vouchers," or "benefit vouchers" that require scanning a QR code to join a group to receive rebates or gifts; even if they scan to enter a community, they should remain skeptical of phrases like "transfer first, then rebate" and "referrals earn rewards," and not be easily swayed by a large number of community members, uniform avatars, or administrators claiming to be "official." Moreover, one should never transfer funds to unknown accounts, especially when asked to transfer assets through irreversible on-chain methods, and should decisively refuse and consult authoritative channels in a timely manner. From the perspective of the industry and project parties, while virtual currency infrastructure and application parties benefit from on-chain liquidity, they cannot avoid the responsibility of compliance scrutiny over suspicious fund flows. Strengthening monitoring of on-chain blacklisted addresses and risk aggregation addresses, proactively collaborating with regulatory, judicial, and professional risk control institutions, and promptly taking measures to limit rights, freeze, or report obviously abnormal funding patterns is transitioning from a "reputation bonus" to a "compliance necessity." More importantly, it must be repeatedly emphasized that virtual currencies themselves have neutral attributes; they can be used for cross-border payments, asset allocation, and other innovative scenarios, but they can also be misused by criminals as settlement tools. The key lies in institutional design and usage boundaries. Distinguishing between technological innovation and illegal use requires ongoing public education, transparent information disclosure, and the construction of verifiable risk control mechanisms. Only through the combined efforts of users understanding risks better, industries prioritizing compliance, and regulators effectively utilizing technology can this escalating battle surrounding "tasting cards" and virtual currencies potentially shift from passive response to proactive shaping.
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