＂Jianbao experts＂ are not qualified to ＂auction＂ arrangements, which will expose the collection scam routine.

　　Collectibles such as calligraphy and painting, antiques, coins and stamps are widely sought after by investors because of their appreciation space and artistic value, and criminal crimes related to collectibles have followed. On November 12, Beijing Youth Daily reporter learned from the news briefing on the trial of criminal cases involving collectibles held by Beijing No.3 Intermediate People’s Court that most of these cases are aimed at middle-aged and elderly people, and corporatization has become the norm of crime.

　　Corporate operation becomes normal.

　　Xin Shangmin, vice president of Beijing No.3 Intermediate People’s Court, introduced that from 2017 to 2020, the No.3 Intermediate People’s Court and the courts under its jurisdiction concluded 66 criminal cases involving collectibles in the first instance, which mainly involved crimes of fraud, illegal absorption of public deposits, contract fraud, fund-raising fraud and other crimes. Corporate operation has become the normal state of such crimes. In order to gain the trust of the victim, the defendant deliberately leased the office space in a well-known business circle and carried out activities such as publicity and sales, contract signing and money collection in the name of a specialized company. Some companies also openly recruit salesmen on job-hunting websites, and conduct unified speech training within the company. The scale, influence and success rate of criminal acts are much higher than that of individuals committing crimes.

　　Eighty percent of the victims were middle-aged and elderly people.

　　According to the investigation of Beijing No.3 Intermediate People’s Court, the collection scam can be mainly divided into four routines: "exchange low for high", that is, packaging cheap handicrafts and buying high-priced collections in the hands of victims; "High-priced repurchase", that is, false promise to return the collection at a high price to defraud the victim of the purchase money; "Regular rebate", that is, in the name of investment collection, sales share, etc., publicizes the high interest rate of capital preservation and defrauds the victim’s investment; "Auction on behalf of others" means defrauding appraisal fees, exhibition fees, auction pre-payment fees (that is, pre-tender estimate fees), admission deposits, negotiation fees and other fees in the name of holding an auction or a trade fair, but actually failing to hold a false auction, resulting in the collection being auctioned off.

　　The investigation of Beijing No.3 Intermediate People’s Court found that the defendant consciously chose the elderly as the target. About 80% of the victims were middle-aged and elderly people over 55 years old, and more than half of the victims involved elderly people over 70 years old. Some victims were even deceived in one company to buy the collection, and then they were deceived in another company to entrust the auction, which was repeatedly deceived by upstream and downstream companies in the collection industry.

　　"Jianbao Expert" is not qualified for appraisal.

　　From October 2018 to June 2019, more than 20 people, including Guo, contacted customers by telephone through a number of collectible companies, fabricated exhibitions, auctions and other reasons to invite victims. Fiction can help victims sell stamps, coins, calligraphy and painting, porcelain and other collectibles through auctions, and defrauded more than 80 victims of more than 4 million yuan in various names such as exhibition fees and auction pre-fees.

　　The so-called "treasure experts" of the company have no appraisal qualification. The so-called "auctions" are all placards arranged by "trustees", and the final price of placards will not reach the reserve price of the collection to ensure that the collection will be auctioned. After the auction, continue to persuade the victim to change the auction entrance fee into a private negotiation fee or pay a high-standard entrance fee to upgrade the auction. Fictitious masters, fake auction scenes and interlocking words all make the victims lose their judgment ability and get deeper and deeper.

　　After trial by the court, the defendant Guo and other 20 people constituted the crime of fraud and were sentenced to fixed-term imprisonment ranging from 13 years and six months to one year and eight months respectively. Text/reporter Zhu Jianyong Intern Liu Meng