Bank teller, police team up to prevent woman from losing nearly $280,000 in investment scam

A bank teller in East China's Zhejiang province helped prevent a woman from losing nearly 2 million yuan ($278,000) in an investment scam, authorities said on Monday.

On Feb 20, the woman, surnamed Li, visited a bank in Jiaxing's Pinghu district to open a corporate account for a large transaction. Bank teller Gu Xiaohong noticed Li following instructions from someone claiming to be an "investment teacher" on WeChat.

Li explained the "teacher" was guiding her to invest in "digital assets" on a specific platform, promising high returns. Gu, suspecting fraud, alerted the police while delaying the account creation process.

Upon arrival, police officer Chen Yuan reviewed Li's phone and confirmed the scam. Li initially resisted, believing the investment was legitimate, but police at the station showed her similar fraud cases and ultimately convinced her not to proceed, saving her 1.9 million yuan.

"Without your intervention, I would have lost all my savings," Li said, thanking both Gu and the police.

Gu, citing regular anti-fraud training with police, stated, "Protecting customers' financial security is my duty."