Mainland fraudulent agents claim to have ways to assist foreign workers in applying for jobs in Hong Kong, seizing the opportunity to defraud millions in agency fees and then disappearing with the money. Starting today, Hong Kong Wen Wei Po dissects this MLM-like industrial chain in a three-part series, delving into the evil deeds of the culprits and interviews government officials of the Special Administrative Region to propose solutions to rectify the issue. Readers are invited to pay attention.
Even before entering the residence of Li Shanshan in Hengzhou, Guangxi, Hong Kong Wen Wei Po reporters could hear the noise and shouting from inside. Upon entering, the scene was chaotic, with dozens of caregivers from the local Guangxi area surrounding Li Shanshan, mixed with crude language and demands for the return of the fees for handling employment in Hong Kong.
The Boss Vanished, Downline Employees Hounded for Debts
Li Shanshan is a member of the downline of an intermediary group, responsible for meeting caregivers interested in working in Hong Kong through her WeChat Moments and domestic service training institutions. Since April 2023, every caregiver has paid 13,000 to 30,000 RMB to the intermediary group through her, and some have been waiting for more than a year to no avail. One caregiver complained to reporters that this agency fee was equivalent to three to five months' salary working in Nanning, with many resorting to borrowing money or using credit to fund it.
Ms. Wei paid Li Shanshan for a pathway. She said, "I thought I could work in Hong Kong and earn at least 15,000 HKD monthly to repay this agency fee. But so far, I haven't been able to go to Hong Kong, instead accumulating debt with interest. I hope Li Shanshan refunds soon."
Amid the anger, the pregnant Li Shanshan kept pleading her innocence, claiming she was deceived by a Hong Kong consultant firm called Qiyuan and became a part of it, not expecting to earn nothing as the other party (her boss) took off with the money. She expressed helplessness towards the victims, "My due date is January next year (2025); I am clueless about what to do daily." Seeing her emotional breakdown and tears, the crowd, fearing a tragic outcome, had no choice but to leave.
Li Shanshan told Hong Kong Wen Wei Po reporters that she faces numerous such debt collection confrontations almost every day, not only surrounded during the day but also receiving abusive calls at night. She repeatedly stressed that the agency fee did not go into her pocket, and she was only responsible for finding caregivers and developing the downline, akin to pulling people into MLM, but most agency fees had been forwarded to the upline.
During the pandemic, Li Shanshan applied to work as a caregiver in Hong Kong but ultimately failed. Three months after the selection, her peers who returned from Hong Kong's anti-epidemic work earned 70,000 RMB each, making her envious. When the Hong Kong SAR Government recruited caregivers last year, she scouted various recruitment channels and was repeatedly deceived until she met an employee of Qiyuan (Hong Kong) Consultants named Zhu Rong. "Zhu Rong worked in Hong Kong for several months during the pandemic and made considerable income, so I trusted her."
Commissions Similar to Multi-level Marketing
With Li Shanshan's hope of working in Hong Kong shattered, Zhu Rong urged her to leverage her connections in the mainland caregiving community to recruit for Qiyuan, promising commissions of 2,000 to 4,000 RMB for each application fee received from aspiring caregivers, similar to the structure of multi-level marketing. She was involved in 482 cases of caregivers aiming to work in Hong Kong, totaling 4.65 million RMB in agency fees, but Li Shanshan claimed she didn't receive a cent and forwarded everything to Zhu Rong.
Upon investigation by Hong Kong Wen Wei Po reporters, it was found that after the exposure, Zhu Rong was detained by Guangxi Nanning Beihu Police Station on charges of fraud on October 4, 2024, but the return of the agency fees remains uncertain.
Southbound Job Searching Becomes Like Telephone Fraud, Training Companies Also Victimized
Apart from individual caregivers being victimized, many domestic services companies responsible for training caregivers were also deceived by agents and their downlines, incurring financial losses. It is reported that several companies in the Nanning domestic service industry were defrauded, with Lezhi Kang Domestic Services in Nanning losing over 20 million RMB in labor agency fees for nearly 1,000 participants. A victimized company, Nanning Zhenxin Domestic Services, headed by Yu Zezhen, unsuccessfully sought repayment from Zhuhai Renyuan Labor Dispatch Company, reporting nearly one million RMB in agency fee losses, marking her third time being scammed by Hong Kong labor agencies. "Hong Kong labor agency scams are endless, with ever-changing methods akin to 'phone scams.'"
Yu Zezhen, who founded a domestic service company and a training school, had recruited nearly 100 caregivers to assist in Hong Kong's anti-epidemic efforts previously. She says this time she was duped by Zhuhai Renyuan Labor Dispatch Company, where a shareholder named Mo Quanlan was fundamental in earning her trust. Mo herself, like Zhu Rong and Zhang Yunlian, had worked as a caregiver in Hong Kong, earning 90,000 HKD in a few months, thereby discovering the "industry chain."
Agents Falsely Claim Links to Hong Kong Elderly Institutions
Mo Quanlan claimed to have links with Hong Kong elderly institutions and set up a labor company, prompting domestic companies to let down their guard. Yu Zezhen handed over agency fees, only to have students cheated. She learned Mo Quanlan fraudulently obtained over 5 million RMB involving more than 300 victims under the guise of the Hong Kong labor initiative, "With the year-end approaching, we're eager to recover the defrauded funds to refund job seekers."
Moreover, civil organizations like the Nanning Domestic Association and government-backed Xixiangtang District Temporary Labor Market were also scammed by Hong Kong labor agencies. Chen Honggang, Vice President of the Nanning Domestic Industry Association, stated that a labor agency named Shenzhen Jinlao Gu reached out to their president, Duan Jie, and others. Trust was built, and the association participated in labor recruitment activities for Hong Kong labor placements.
Shenzhen Jinlao Gu also signed a memorandum of cooperation with the Nanning Domestic Industry Association, publicly announcing the cooperation in the media. In this partnership, the Nanning Domestic Industry Association introduced 66 caregivers for Hong Kong, paying 1.19 million RMB in agency fees, while the association collected an organization fee of 2,000 RMB per person, but the applications went unanswered, sparking suspicions of being defrauded.
Chen Honggang disclosed that Shenzhen Jinlao Gu did have partnerships with government agencies during the pandemic, successfully dispatching a batch of caregivers to Hong Kong, and the Nanning Domestic Industry Association had also sent caregivers to Hong Kong, hence the trust. Unexpectedly, many trainees paid but were unable to work in Hong Kong, attacking Chen Honggang for reimbursement. Facing the members' aggression, Chen Honggang admitted negligence in vetting the company's background.
Currently, the Nanning Domestic Association is pursuing the defrauded labor agency fees from Shenzhen Jinlao Gu’s shareholders, Gu Maozhong and Fan Xinfeng. Reporters learned that Fan Xinfeng was detained by the Nanning Qingxiu District Nanhu Police Station on bail, promising a refund of the labor agency fees but had not fulfilled the promise at the time of reporting.
Previously, Shenzhen Jinlao Gu Labor Agency also signed a similar Hong Kong labor cooperation memorandum with the Xixiangtang Temporary Labor Market under Nanning's labor security branch.
Recruitment Downlines Pursued for Money, Paying From Own Pocket to Calm Anger
Similar scenes of confrontation were faced by Zhang Yunlian in Nanning, who worked as a caregiver in Hong Kong for three months during the pandemic, earning a significant income. After returning home, she sought opportunities for further work in Hong Kong. One time, a company called Qiyuan International (Hong Kong) Consultant contacted her via Douyin, promising to assist with the formalities for Hong Kong jobs and issuing alleged entry documentation and "paperwork" for Hong Kong companies, which never materialized. Attempting to travel on a tourist visa, she discovered the employment documentation was fictional, with no plans by the company to hire foreign workers.
After Qiyuan's lies were exposed, they invited her to become a downline recruiter for mainland workers. Zhang Yunlian also disclosed to Hong Kong Wen Wei Po reporters her other identity as a recruitment agent for Qiyuan International (Singapore) wholly-owned subsidiary. She presented her relevant ID, claiming to be one of the few mainland agents directly connected to Li Jiawen, the Greater China General Agent of Qiyuan International (Singapore), equivalent to a primary agent.
Downlines Recruit More Downlines, Multiple Layers Victimized
Zhang Yunlian also developed her downline, Zeng Xiangfeng, who in turn developed another layer of downline including Luo Hongquan and Yao Yinlong. Zhang Yunlian counted that she processed recruitment for over 150 mainland workers to Hong Kong, transferring approximately 800,000 RMB in agency fees to Li Jiawen. Reporters learned that Zeng Xiangfeng, Luo Hongquan, and Yao Yinlong were also detained by mainland law enforcement for fraud charges and are currently on bail pending trial.
After the incident was exposed, many workers hounded Zhang Yunlian for debts. Regretting being tempted by Li Jiawen initially, she confessed, "I helped Li Jiawen collect hundreds of thousands in agency fees with a fifty-fifty split, and now being chased for debts, Li Jiawen disappeared without a trace, leaving me to pay people back from my pocket."