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• Three Chinese swindlers were sentenced to prison before deportation for a $100,000 crime spree. 
• They used a “blessing scam” targeting vulnerable women in Auckland and Christchurch’s immigrant communities. 
• They were arrested at Auckland airport last year, trying to leave New Zealand with $78,000 in cash and ill-gotten loot. 

Three scam artists who arrived from China on visitor visas, accumulating more than $100,000 in cash and jewellery during a three-week crime spree holiday, have been ordered to complete prison terms before their deportation. 

“Your offending was despicable,” Judge Kirsten Lummis told the trio yesterday afternoon as they appeared in Auckland District Court for sentencing, six months after they were arrested at Auckland International Airport trying to flee the country with suitcases full of ill-gotten loot. 

“I need to send a very clear message to other Chinese citizens who think New Zealand may be an easy target for such scams. Your behaviour is unacceptable and it will be met with a stern response.” 

Baodi Wu, 59, Huanyan Chen, 54, Guoli Liang, 51, and at least one other unidentified person used a common “blessing scam” to swindle vulnerable people within Auckland and Christchurch’s immigrant Chinese communities during their trip. 

The defendants arrived in New Zealand together on October 10 last year and immediately set about seeking victims. It took only two days to find their first, a 72-year-old woman whom they encountered near the public toilets by the Olympic Swimming Pools in Newmarket. 

“The offending was well rehearsed,” Judge Lummis said. “On each occasion, you targeted lone females mature in their years... In creating the ruse, you upheld this farce for hours at a time. 

“Your sole motivation appears to have been money... It remains unclear to me who was driving this scam and what the real story is, but my overwhelming impression is you each played a role in a well-oiled machine.” 

Chinese swindlers Huanyan Chen (left), Baodi Wu and Guoli Liang appear in Auckland District Court. Background: some of the cash seized by police as the trio tried to flee New Zealand. Photos / Alex Burton and supplied 

Police describe the “blessing scam” as a scheme in which criminals convince their victims that they are cursed or suffering from spiritual misfortune. 

Under the pretence of a ritual claimed to remove the curse, victims are told they need to put all their cash and valuables in a bag. The items are then stolen, but often the criminals have fled the country by the time the victim realises they’ve been duped, authorities said. 

Co-ordinated groups of fraudsters have been running the scam in New Zealand for more than 15 years, with police having noticed increased activity in recent years. 

“The individuals involved in these scams are often transient, entering the country on temporary or visitor visas,” the agreed summary of facts for Wu, Chen and Liang states. “They typically remain for less than a month and have no prior connections to the country, making it challenging for authorities to track their identities and movements once they depart.” 

Baby wipes and noodles 

Five people fell prey to the scam during the three weeks the defendants were loose in New Zealand, according to police. 

After striking up a conversation with the first victim at the swimming pool, Chen mentioned that she had a haunted house and a daughter with mental health issues but she hoped to get help from a Feng shui master. She asked the victim if she had heard of Master Huang, and the victim said she hadn’t. 

At that point, Wu arrived on the scene pretending to be a stranger and said she not only knew who Master Huang was but could take the women to meet him. Chen and Wu then escorted the woman to their co-conspirator Liang, who posed as Master Huang’s son and told the victim her own son was in trouble. 

Chinese nationals Huanyan Chen, Guoli Liang and Baodi Wu appear in Auckland District Court for an earlier hearing over a "blessing scam". Photo / Alex Burton 

Wu then went with the woman to her Sandringham residence, where she was convinced to put $12,500 cash, four 24-carat gold necklaces, one platinum necklace, four 24-carat gold rings and other items into a white plastic bag along with a handful of rice. Wu then convinced her to go to the bank to withdraw another $2000 that was put in the bag before they met up with the other two defendants again. 

“The three defendants surrounded [the victim] and claimed they would perform a blessing ritual,” the summary of facts states. “Liang held [her] left hand, instructing her to raise her left arm. He whispered spells and told [her] to focus on staring at her left hand. 

“Liang then handed a brown paper bag to Wu while holding [the victim’s] right hand. Standing behind [the victim], Wu discreetly placed the brown paper bag in her handbag while simultaneously removing the white plastic bag, unbeknownst to [the victim] at the time.” 

The woman was told not to open the swapped bag for three months. She was escorted to a bus stop, where she was told to count to three before boarding and assured that all misfortune would dissipate afterwards. 

“Later, [the victim] returned home by bus and opened the brown paper bag, only to find a bag of cornstarch and a bottle of water,” investigators said. “She also realised that the white plastic bag containing her valuables was missing.” 

Cash believed to have been collected from victims was seized from the accused trio after they were arrested by Auckland City Financial Crime Unit detectives. Photo / NZ Police 

Two days later, the group approached a 70-year-old victim at the New Lynn bus station and followed a similar script. 

This time, however, Liang claimed to be the grandson of Master Huang and suggested the spiritual leader had a powerful mirror that could observe and affect people’s lives remotely if they volunteered money or gold as a “demonstration of sincerity”. 

The new victim was accompanied to the bank, where she withdrew $15,000 and put it in a black bag. Opening it, she was warned as the ritual concluded, would break the spell’s power. 

“After returning home, [the second victim] opened the bag and discovered that it contained only a bottle of water and two packs of biscuits,” court documents state. 

The third victim, approached at the Chinatown Shopping Mall carpark in Auckland’s Burswood suburb, was convinced to put $8400 cash, $5300 worth of jewellery and about $4600 worth of Chinese currency in a bag. Co-defendant Liang was not charged with having participated in that scam or the two that followed, although Judge Lummis said of his absence: “I have my suspicions.” 

On that occasion, Wu pretended to be the daughter of the fictional Master Huang. 

“Wu returned to the victim claiming her father could see the victim’s son was cursed and his life would be in danger in three hours,” court documents state. “Defendant Wu said there was a ghost currently holding the victim’s son and, as a result, he would die in a serious traffic crash soon. 

“The victim was shocked and scared by what defendant Wu said. The victim was going to call her family, but defendant Wu urged the victim not to do so, as if she did her son could not be saved.” 

Huanyan Chen in Auckland District Court after being arrested as part of a "blessing scam" to steal thousands from five victims. Photo / Alex Burton 

Wu and Chen returned to the Chinatown Shopping Mall carpark one more time on November 3, convincing a 53-year-old woman to place her trust in “Dr Huang”, purported to be a traditional Chinese medicine expert who could cure long-term illnesses. 

“Defendant Chen said to the victim that Dr Huang had a vision of her past life,” the summary of facts state. “There was an evil spirit around her and [they had] put a curse on her because she had stepped on blood of dead people who died after a car accident. Defendant Chen also said that the victim needed help immediately before any bad things happened to her.” 

Wu and Chen managed to collect $9000 cash and jewellery, including the victim’s gold wedding ring. 

“The victim felt relief and safe. She genuinely believed that she and her family were protected by the blessing,” court documents state. 

She didn’t tell family members about the incident but opened the bag five days later after reading about the scam in the media, starting to suspect she might be a victim. She found two packs of noodles and a bottle of water. 

A judge has ordered the $78,000 in New Zealand notes, foreign currency and jewellery that was seized from the trio be returned to the victims. Photo / NZ Police 

Chen and Wu also travelled to Christchurch, where they convinced an 82-year-old woman to put $30,000 cash and jewellery into the ritual bag after meeting her at a bus stop on Riccarton Rd. 

The woman had wanted to help her sick husband and improve her own failing health, but she ended up with a water bottle and two packages of baby wipes, documents state. 

‘Too embarrassed’ 

The three were arrested in early November as they tried to check in for their flights back to China. 

“I was wrong, I was truly wrong,” Wu later told police. “I am willing to bear the consequences.” 

Chen also immediately admitted to having participated in the deceptions. 

“I feel sorry for the victims,” she said. “I’m willing to return everything we stole from them.” 

Liang declined to speak with police but later admitted to a pre-sentencing report writer that he was under financial strain in China. His son had a wedding coming up this past February and after reading about the blessing scam in the Chinese media he thought he would give it a try, he claimed. 

Guoli Liang was given a 19-and-a-half-month prison sentence for his role in the scam. Photo / Alex Burton 

Chen and Wu both tried to convince report writers that they were legitimate tourists who perpetrated the scams, which they had heard about online, on a lark as a way to earn some money for souvenirs. 

Judge Lummis described the explanations as not credible given the defendants were arrested with bags full of stolen loot rather than expensive souvenirs. It was also telling, she said, that when Liang was asked what regions of New Zealand he wanted to visit he could only name Auckland. 

It was also obvious, the judge said, that the scene was premeditated and co-ordinated before they left China, with its execution being the sole purpose of their visit. 

All three defendants also submitted to the court letters of apology. Victims, however, did not seem to be in a forgiving mood. Although none attended this week’s hearing, several submitted victim impact statements to the court. 

The 82-year-old Christchurch resident described opening the bag and immediately realising that she and her husband’s savings over the past 20 to 30 years had vanished. 

“I felt that my heart stopped beating and my blood froze,” she said, adding that she was initially scared to tell her husband because she was afraid it could trigger his heart disease. 

“It was too embarrassing,” she said. “I felt ashamed to see anyone, so I just wanted to die... If others knew I’d made such a stupid mistake, where would I put my face?” 

She said the incident has made her afraid to talk to strangers again, ruining one of the great aspects of New Zealand: its friendliness. 

One victim says her and her husband’s savings over the past 20 to 30 years vanished when targeted by the scammers. Photo / NZ Police 

“I’m ashamed these scammers are my compatriots,” she said. “They are not worthy of being Chinese and they are not worthy of being human. 

“Where is their conscience?” 

The victim said she feared there are others out there who either didn’t know they had been scammed or were too embarrassed or distrustful of police to come forward. 

“If there are any people out there in that position, I hope this case has proven to them that police will listen – they will take matters seriously,” Judge Lummis said after reading aloud the victim impact statement. “And the courts, likewise, will listen and take matters seriously.” 

‘Offensive deceit’ 

All three defendants pleaded guilty to multiple counts of obtaining by deception, which carries a maximum possible sentence of seven years’ imprisonment. 

Their offending was unique from previous deception cases, the judge said, in how “cynical and manipulative” it was and its invasive nature. 

“It is the elaborate face-to-face deceit over many hours that makes your case so offensive,” she said. 

Baodi Wu (centre), along with her co-accused, was given a small discount for remorse when sentenced. Photo / Alex Burton 

She ordered a starting point of three and a half years imprisonment for Chen and Wu’s five cases and two and a half years for Liang’s two counts. She allowed a 25% discount for guilty pleas that had been sought by defence lawyers Michael Kan, Holly Alderton and Sam Galler, given no opposition from the police prosecutor. 

She was sceptical, however, about a discount for remorse. 

“Is it genuine remorse?” she said. “You clearly didn’t feel bad after the first time, or the second time, or the third time.” 

However, she said she would allow a small discount for remorse and for the added burden of being a foreign national serving a prison sentence with no family support in New Zealand. 

Wu had asked for mercy because of an 8-year-old adopted daughter she said was waiting for her at home. The judge responded that not only was there no evidence of the daughter, but Wu didn’t seem too concerned about spending a month in New Zealand without her if she existed. 

The judge settled on sentences of two years and three months’ imprisonment for Chen and Wu and 19 and a half months for Liang. The women will be eligible for parole after serving a third of their sentence and will likely be deported immediately upon release. 

Liang, because his sentence was under two years, will be eligible for parole after serving half of his term. 

The judge also ordered the $78,000 in New Zealand notes, foreign currency and jewellery that was seized from the trio at the airport be returned to the victims. Despite claims from each defendant that they wished to pay back all that they had stolen, the judge recognised that getting the money would be fruitless. 

She declined to order further reparations. 

Craig Kapitan is an Auckland-based journalist covering courts and justice. He joined the Herald in 2021 and has reported on courts since 2002 in three newsrooms in the US and New Zealand.