In the eyes of many foreign criminals, Chinese people are seen as “walking wallets.” To avoid being robbed or extorted, some Chinese carry “practice banknotes” (props used by bank staff to practice counting money) for emergencies. Recently, a Chinese man surnamed Liu in Tanzania was confronted by armed robbers, but managed to escape thanks to the 'practice banknotes' he had on him.
According to Chinese media Xiaoxiang Morning News, on the 9th, Mr. Liu took a taxi out from his hotel. Just five minutes into the ride, their car was stopped by a pick-up truck. Six armed men got out, demanding Mr. Liu show proof of identification.
Mr. Liu, who had entered the country on a business visa, showed them his passport and invitation letter on his phone. However, since he couldn’t produce physical documents as requested, he was then “invited” to get into the pick-up truck.
6 Gunmen Demanded $200
Shortly after they drove off, the group suddenly stopped and started demanding money from Mr. Liu. They initially asked for 200 US dollars (833 Malaysian Ringgit), but when Mr. Liu said he didn’t have it, they changed their demand to Chinese renminbi.
Mr. Liu handed them 10 'practice banknotes' and was released. He stated that before going abroad, he found that many fellow countrymen had suffered illegal extortion abroad and many were prepared with 'practice banknotes': “He didn’t specifically say the word ‘money’, and I also didn’t mention the word ‘money’, so he asked me for ‘something’, and that thing wasn’t money. I gave him some paper, and after he accepted, he let me go.”
Four Extortion Attempts in Three Months
Mr. Liu pointed out that he has been in Tanzania for almost three months and has already encountered four cases of extortion: “Last time, I met a police officer. After checking my visa and finding no issues, he said he was hungry and asked for some money, or else I wouldn’t be allowed to leave. The first three times, the amounts they wanted were small, around 40 or 50 yuan (23 or 29 Malaysian Ringgit). Since it wasn’t much, I just gave it.”