Girl receives 'scam call' during a police anti-scam lecture. She picked it up and handed her phone straight to the officer
‘You couldn’t have reached out at a better time,’ the officer told the caller.
Timing is everything, and one scammer just learned that lesson in the best way possible. During an anti-fraud seminar in Heilongjiang, China, an attendee got an incoming call from an unknown number right in the middle of the lecture. Instead of hanging up, she simply walked up and handed her phone to the police officer on stage. The cop held the speaker straight against the microphone. The room listened to what happened next, and the rest of the world as the clip was shared by Aries Xu (@ariesxu_08) on September 22, 2026, and drew more than 353,000 views.
A suspicious call
The seminar had barely gotten into its groove when an attendee's phone lit up with a call from an unfamiliar number. Rather than tapping decline or slipping out into the hallway, she carried the buzzing phone straight down the aisle and placed it into the officer's hands on the stage. Without breaking stride, the officer then pressed the phone's speaker against his microphone to let everyone in attendance listen in. Completely unaware of their audience, the scammer then made their pitch. "We ship straight from our factory. A full six varieties, just for you to taste," they said.
A sudden identity check
The caller offered to deliver the products straight to the recipient’s doorstep for 99 yuan (about $15). Feeling confident about closing the deal, they even asked the officer if they'd caught all that. "First of all, thanks for calling," the officer told them. After that, he revealed his identity to them. He told them that he was with the Harbin Public Security Bureau. The officer also couldn't help but appreciate the sheer irony of the interruption. "You couldn't have reached out at a better time," he noted. He then acknowledged that they were looking for a live demonstration.
The instant regret
After the officer identified himself and explained that he was giving an anti-fraud lecture, the scammer abruptly hung up. The line abruptly went dead before the officer could even say another word. The officer then let out a grin as he returned the phone to the girl while the entire room erupted in cheers and laughter. While this incident was a lighthearted one, a Truecaller report produced with The Harris Poll estimated that Americans lost $25.4 billion to phone scams in 2023. About one in four U.S. adults reported losing money, with an average loss of $452 per victim.
Only in China
The people, however, couldn't help but control their emotions. @sololana commented, "I always say: wasaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa, if it is the police, they say my name; if not, they hang up." At the same time, @matthewmspace pointed out, "So even the Chinese deal with Chinese scammers, lol."
Follow Aries Xu (@ariesxu_08) for more Chinese news.
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