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0Erinome: Hello dear listeners! Welcome to our podcast. Today, Enceladus and I will talk about a shocking story – a phone rental platform called "Qingyunzu" had a big "baolei" recently. Do you know what "baolei" means? It’s like when a company’s money chain breaks, and many people lose their money.
Enceladus: Oh right! I heard about it a little. So what exactly happened with Qingyunzu?
Erinome: Let me start. Qingyunzu said they do "phone rental with credit, no deposit". But actually, they used high returns to attract people. Like, they promised 16.8% to 30% yearly profit! Wow, that’s super high, right?
Enceladus: 30%? That’s way higher than normal banks or funds. Why would people believe that?
Erinome: They lied about their background! They said they had a "listed company" and "state-owned support", but it was all fake. No real big company backed them.
Enceladus: Fake? Oh no, that’s cheating! Did they use the money to rent real phones?
Erinome: No! It was a Ponzi scheme. You know, using new investors’ money to pay old ones. So when not enough new people came, the chain broke.
Enceladus: Oh right, Ponzi schemes always crash. What about the phones? Did people really rent them?
Erinome: Here’s a crazy part! They said 110,000 phones were rented out. But guess where they went? Two small villages in Henan! The "renters" were fake – their phone numbers were either off or not working.
Enceladus: Wow! So those phones were just for show? No real rental?
Erinome: Exactly! And the employees? Oh no, it’s sad. The company forced employees to buy phones to meet performance. Like, if you work there, you must buy 30 phones a month. If not, you get fired.
Enceladus: Sad! So employees didn’t get salary, but lost money instead?
Erinome: Yes! Over a thousand people "paid to work". One employee even used his house as抵押 (diyada) – he lost 1.3 million yuan. His family is in big trouble now.
Enceladus: That’s terrible. When did people find out it was a scam?
Erinome: Signs showed early. Their Wuhan office closed – no one could visit. A recycling partner left too. Then people couldn’t get their money back. The company said "it’s a tech problem, we’re doing 'gugai' (stock reform)", but it was all lies.
Enceladus: So they kept lying even when crashing?
Erinome: Yep. And many victims were tricked by friends. Like, a woman invested 390,000 yuan because her friend worked at Qingyunzu. Now she can’t get it back.
Enceladus: Oh no! Trusting friends is good, but not for high-return projects.
Erinome: Exactly! The scammers used "friends" as tools. That’s why so many people fell for it.
Enceladus: Why didn’t the government stop this earlier?
Erinome: There’s no good supervision yet. No special account for rental money, so the company could use the money freely. No one checked their fake "listed background" either.
Enceladus: So what can we learn from this? How to avoid such scams?
Erinome: Experts say: First, if returns are over 15% yearly – be careful! Too high. Second, if they say "listed" or "state-owned", check online! Don’t believe words. Third, if friends push you to invest – say no!
Enceladus: Good tips. So Qingyunzu is a big lesson: "If it sounds too good, it’s a scam."
Erinome: Yep. Many people lost their life savings. Sad, but we need to warn others.
Enceladus: I hope the government makes better rules now. Like, check rental companies’ money and background.
Erinome: Me too. Okay, that’s all for today. Remember: be smart with your money, don’t chase high returns blindly. Bye everyone!
Enceladus: Bye! Stay safe!
