CNBC AI News, July 31—Meituan is warning the public after a couple was detained in Chongqing for posing as Meituan delivery drivers in a street-level begging scam. According to Meituan’s official WeChat account, “Xiaotuan Youhuashuo,” the Yuzhong District Public Security Bureau issued an alert after reports surfaced of individuals using deceptive tactics to solicit money from unsuspecting citizens and tourists.
The authorities were alerted to a man dressed in a Meituan uniform kneeling in the Times Paradise Walk commercial district. A woman accompanied him, using a loudspeaker to draw attention. They displayed a sign reading “Please save my son,” detailing a fabricated story about a child needing urgent surgery, all designed to tug at heartstrings.
Meituan cooperated with the police in verifying the man’s claimed rider status. It was determined that the individual, identified as Yang Moumou, had briefly registered as a crowdsourced rider in Yichang, Hubei province, back in 2019. However, he deactivated his account in December 2023 and had not worked for the platform since.
Police investigations revealed Yang had purchased the Meituan uniform online in June, explicitly to impersonate a delivery driver while begging, aiming to exploit public sympathy for financial gain.
Yang and his accomplice, Tang, are now in police custody, serving an eight-day administrative detention.
Meituan has previously debunked similar scams involving fake riders staging scenes online to gain followers. This latest incident marks a disturbing escalation to in-person “sob story” fraud.
The company issued a strong warning against impersonating riders or exploiting their identity for any illegal activities emphasizing that such actions disrupt social order, damage the reputation of delivery workers, and carry serious legal consequences.
Meituan highlights its existing support programs for legitimate riders in need, including the “Kangaroo Baby Public Welfare Project” and the “Rider Critical Illness Care Plan,” which have provided assistance to over 6,000 riders and their families, with a total investment exceeding 200 million yuan.
Since June 1st, Meituan upgraded the “Rider Critical Illness Care Plan”, eligible dedicated and crowdsourced riders whose children are diagnosed with specific illnesses can apply for a one-time payment of 30% of the limit and a fixed amount of hospitalization subsidy, reducing the medical burden.
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