300-Year Gym Membership Investment Scam in China

A resident of Hangzhou, China, named Jin, was defrauded of approximately $121,000 after purchasing a 300-year membership and 1,200 personal training sessions from a gym with the promise of making money.

The Process That Began with Investment Promises

A customer named Jin, who had been going to the same gym in Hangzhou, China for three years, became the target of a fraud network through profit promises made by the gym staff. Sales representatives claimed that long-term memberships were offered cheaply exclusively to loyal members and that these could be sold to new members at double the price to make a profit.

Campaign and Contract Terms

Jin was offered a special price of 8,888 yuan for a one-year membership, told that these memberships would be sold for 16,666 yuan, and that the gym would only take a 10 percent commission. The staff committed that if the memberships could not be sold within two months, the full amount would be refunded.

Hundreds of Thousands of Yuan Spent

Convinced in a short time, Jin purchased a large number of memberships within two months. Introduced to the gym manager as well, the victim made a total payment of 871,273 yuan between May 10 and July 9, 2025, acquiring a 300-year membership and 1,200 personal training sessions.

Disappearance of the Managers

When the time came for refunds due in mid-July, the sales representative, store manager, and gym owner vanished, and their phones were turned off. Not only did Jin fail to earn any income from the investment, but they were also left with non-transferable membership contracts.

Legal Process and Warnings

Realizing they had been scammed, Jin filed a complaint with the Hangzhou police and initiated a legal process to recover their money. Lawyers stated that the process would be quite challenging due to the scammers disappearing and the signed contracts.