A man in Jiangsu, China, was arrested for an elaborate scheme involving over 400 mobile phones to win live-stream prizes.
Identified by his surname Ma, operated the devices from a small garage within a residential compound, South China Morning Post reported.
The unusual activity was discovered when an elderly passer-by reported it to the police, suspecting a potential scam operation.
Last year, similar cases were reported involving operations that used hundreds of phones to simulate viewer engagement for live-streamers.
However, Ma’s operation revealed a different strategy.
He admitted to using phones linked to separate live-streaming platform accounts to participate in the same live-stream and claim “lucky bags”.
These prizes required participants to click a button to send specific messages, with rewards determined by the live-streamers.
To avoid needing SIM cards for account registration, Ma purchased pre-existing accounts online.
He then claimed to earn between 10,000 and 20,000 yuan (RM6,131 and RM12,263) per month by selling items he had won, which ranged from basic necessities to high-value goods like printers and iPhones, on second-hand e-commerce platforms.
Ma was later charged with infringing on personal information, as the purchased accounts were linked to real names and personal details.
Under Chinese Criminal Law, such actions carry a penalty of up to three years in prison or a fine.
