Chapter 904 - Powerful Fraud

But when Su Xuan used it, he found that the phone didn’t even work as well as his Nokia. It was extremely difficult to use, leaving him speechless. He thought to himself, "This Apple is really hard to use, isn’t it fake?" So he opened the phone to check the serial number, input it for verification, and it turned out to be genuine. The frustration in his heart was real; he thought, "Is this all Apple really has to offer?"

Su Xuan thought about how much money he had spent and decided he had to use it, so he went to get a SIM card cut. It turned out that this damn phone was practically unusable. The signal was terrible, leading him to curse that old man Jobs to pieces every time he talked. He told everyone Jobs was just a bastard for producing such crappy phones, with resolution so bad it was laughable.

Until one day, he saw Pan Chenyu’s Apple phone, and only then did Su Xuan realize he had been a complete fool. He had bought a counterfeit product, that Apple phone was fake from start to finish. Because he had never used an Apple before, he couldn’t tell it was fake. At that moment, Su Xuan really had the urge to bang his head against a wall.

Actually, this incident happened many years ago, but Su Xuan often recalls it. It taught him that these days there are many scammers and they emerge endlessly; many people are deceived every year. Frankly, Su Xuan thinks the reason people fall for it is because they’re greedy for cheap deals. If people didn’t crave things cheaply, it would be much harder for scammers to target them.

Back then, wasn’t he also tempted by a bargain? Just think, a phone supposed to sell for four thousand was sold so cheaply, how stupid he was. But in those situations, people are often swayed by the temptation of cheap deals.

Looking at it with hindsight, many scams are really idiotically simple, yet so many people still fall for them. Like those online scams, sending a message claiming you’re a lucky viewer selected by some program, then asking you to enter a verification code to log in and claim a prize.

These scams are honestly childish, because they’re often sent from phone numbers. If it were such a great thing, wouldn’t they claim it themselves instead of letting you do it?

But there are still many people who truly believe and log in to the webpage, verify their information, and seeing the so-called authoritative figures’ certifications, they believe it’s real. They fill in their details step by step, and finally, a so-called authority calls, saying you’ve successfully claimed your prize but need to advance Wu Qian as a deposit. Many people actually know it’s fake at this point, but there are always some fools who fall for it.

Many times, Su Xuan intensely detests scammers, partly due to his own experience, but more so because he feels scammers are even more hateful than robbers. Those who have been scammed know it’s a feeling that could make you die of anger.

This is not an exaggeration. Didn’t a university student named Yuyu get scammed out of more than ten thousand in tuition fees? Depressed, he just passed away. This incident later attracted significant societal attention and only through online sleuthing was the scammer found.

This is characteristic of Huaxia; only when lives are lost do matters escalate. But actually, many telephone fraud cases occur in Huaxia each year, and very few are ever traced. Many times, Su Xuan feels there are sad aspects to Huaxia that only when death occurs are problems taken seriously.

It’s like those who save someone and die; it’s made out to be spectacular. While those who save someone and don’t die are simply considered bystanders. Many times, Su Xuan thinks this society is just so messed up.

So when he encountered someone asking if he wanted to buy a phone again, it immediately triggered Su Xuan’s memories of that time, leaving him very angry, thinking, "Damn it, trying to make me buy a fake phone again, get lost!"

"Handsome, take a look, have a look, it doesn’t cost anything!"

That scammer seemed genuinely earnest, even persistent. Su Xuan thought, "I have nothing to do anyway, so might as well play along. A few years ago, I was played by you, now it’s my turn to play you back, let you know what it’s like to be scammed."

Thinking about this, a cold smile unconsciously crossed the corner of Su Xuan’s mouth, and then he said.

"Let me have a look."

Su Xuan said this with a tempted look. After what happened last time, he specifically learned about real Apple phones. Although the one he bought before was claimed to be a high imitation, some aspects were easy to spot, like the screw at the charging port—Apple uses pentagrams while counterfeits use crosses. Then there’s the pixel quality, which they can’t match. Su Xuan thought he’d see what’s up with this counterfeit version today.

Sometimes he found Chinese mimicking skills impressive; their counterfeit products are unparalleled.

The scammer carefully took out the phone and handed it to Su Xuan. Su Xuan looked at the phone’s base, it was indeed pentagrammed. Then he powered on the phone and checked the pixel quality; it was top-notch. He thought to himself, "Damn it, it’s real, could it be stolen? Is this not a scammer this time?"

"How much?"

Su Xuan asked out of curiosity, knowing that the current price for this thing should be at least more than six thousand. Sometimes he felt Apple was really a scam, selling a phone at such a price. Frankly, smartphones priced around two thousand basically perform similarly to Apple’s features, but in Huaxia, many people are passionate about Apple; it’s even a symbol of wealth and status. Using an iPhone gives many people a sense of pride.

Even some people actually sold their kidneys to buy an Apple. Every time a new iPhone model is released, Huaxia always comes up with a series of mind-boggling stories.

For instance, there’s a junior high student who used a knife on his mother because she wouldn’t buy him an iPhone. There’s also a junior high school girl who wanted an iPhone and ended up engaging in activities with an older man to get it. Moreover, there’s a college student whose girlfriend asked for an Apple set; unable to afford it, he sold his kidney.

One can say in a big forest, there are all types of birds. Su Xuan sometimes doesn’t understand this world at all. A phone is simply a communication device; it really doesn’t warrant such a price.

"Two thousand six, do you want it?"

The man said nervously, and then added.