‘I lost everything’: down-on-his-luck man in China conned out of US$278,000 by ‘magnetic master’ who ordered bizarre food rituals to boost fortunes
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A desperate man in China who was trying to turn around his fortunes has been conned out of more than two million yuan (US$278,000) and persuaded to engage in a series of absurd rituals – such as consuming vast amounts of food over a short period of time.
In 2021, the man, surnamed Wang, enjoyed a stable life as a loving father and the owner of two shops in Shanghai. Then a friend, surnamed Zhu, introduced him to a so-called “master”.
The friend told Wang how he miraculously survived a recent car accident thanks to blessings he received from Buddha amulets he owned. Zhu said Wang should meet the master to help him fix some of his health problems.
Wang added the master on WeChat and was immediately captivated by his psychic abilities.
For example, Wang said the master deduced extensive private information about him only based on his birth date and the eight characters of his horoscope.
Under the master’s guidance, Wang initially paid 400,000 yuan (US$55,000) for Buddha amulets and later participated in a series of rituals to turn around his fortunes.
