CIIE ticket fraud suspect in police custody

The great success of the China International Import Expo, bringing the world to Shanghai and showing the vibrant market that awaits in the country, has been tarnished by a fraudster who allegedly posed as a member of expo staff and cheated five people out of 1,200 yuan (US$173) by promising them tickets, booths or special passes.

The suspect, Lei, has been detained, police said yesterday. Lei is believed to have previously used the same method to swindle about 60,000 yuan by selling booths for another exhibition at Shanghai New International Expo Center.

A victim, Li, from Shanxi Province, made a report to Qingpu police on the second day of the expo, saying he had been cheated out of 280 yuan for a ticket.

Li saw information about CIIE ticket sales online and called up on November 2. The seller claimed to be a CIIE staffer responsible for ticket sales and said he would take Li into the exhibition hall. Li trusted the man and paid him 280 yuan via WeChat for a ticket.

However, when Li arrived in Shanghai on November 6 for the expo, he could not make contact with the man and reported the matter to police, who noticed four similar cases in other provinces.

The suspect was soon tracked to Henan Province where he was detained in his home on November 7. Three computers, a cellphone and numerous forged documents were seized.

Lei confessed that he had lost a lot of money gambling. He once worked in the exhibition industry and, familiar with the procedures, decided to fraudulently offer exhibition tickets and booth.