Story perspectives

Teen Sentenced to Six Years for Cosmetics Fraud Scheme

1/14/2026

Summary

Story summary

Lu, a 17-year-old Chinese teenager, was sentenced to six years for exploiting a refund-policy loophole on an online cosmetics platform.
He submitted 11,900 fraudulent refund applications, earning about four million yuan (US$570,000) without returning any goods.
The cosmetics platform reported the fraud to police in March 2024, prompting Lu's arrest.
The Shanghai court issued the verdict in July 2025, citing the use of fake courier numbers to obtain refunds.

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Story summary

Lu, a 17-year-old Chinese teenager, was sentenced to six years for exploiting a refund-policy loophole on an online cosmetics platform.
He submitted 11,900 fraudulent refund applications, earning about four million yuan (US$570,000) without returning any goods.
The cosmetics platform reported the fraud to police in March 2024, prompting Lu's arrest.
The Shanghai court issued the verdict in July 2025, citing the use of fake courier numbers to obtain refunds.