A well-organized online scam recently targeted parents’ chat groups nationwide. In Hefei’s Economic and Technological Development Zone, several parents fell victim to fraudsters who pretended to be their children’s class teachers, collecting fake “material fees.” After a detailed investigation and a long-distance pursuit, police successfully dismantled the telecom fraud ring and arrested all 11 suspects involved.

According to Hefei police, the suspects infiltrated official school QQ groups by mimicking the class teacher’s profile photo and nickname, then sent messages asking parents to scan a QR code to pay an 88 RMB “new student materials fee.”

Because the messages appeared to come from the real class teacher in the school’s official group, some parents did not question the request and quickly paid. Even after the real teacher discovered the scam and issued a warning, seven parents had already been tricked, each losing 88 RMB.

After receiving the report, the Hefei Economic Development Police immediately launched a joint investigation involving the criminal and cybercrime units. The suspects were soon located in Guangdong Province, where on September 25 police carried out a successful raid, capturing all 11 members of the fraud gang.

According to the confession of Liang, one of the main suspects, the group purchased multiple QQ accounts and searched online for parent or class groups across different cities. They pretended to be parents to gain entry, then switched one account’s identity to appear as the teacher — matching both nickname and photo — and sent fake payment requests. Liang admitted that since September, he had committed eight fraud cases, earning over 10,000 RMB.

Currently, 10 suspects have been placed under criminal detention, and the case remains under further investigation.

Police are urging teachers to carefully verify the identities of group members and to enable entry verification settings to prevent strangers from joining school groups. Parents are also reminded to confirm any payment requests through other official channels and never transfer money directly based on group messages. Finally, no one — teachers, parents, or students — should share class group links or invitations in other chat groups to avoid infiltration by scammers.