AI Course Monetization Scam: Exploiting Anxiety with Fake Tools and Promises

Who Gets Targeted

The primary victims are vulnerable groups lacking discernment and seeking quick success, including the middle-aged and elderly, unemployed youth, stay-at-home mothers, and young people in smaller towns looking for side income. Their psychological weaknesses lie in the mystique surrounding new technology and FOMO (fear of missing out). They are easily swayed by promises like 'earn 10,000+ yuan monthly with zero experience' or 'passive income through automated sales.' Under the influence of manipulative scripts, they often pay impulsively. These individuals typically have no knowledge of the underlying AI logic but view high-priced 'cognitive courses' as a shortcut to success. When they encounter difficulties in obtaining refunds, they are often coerced into taking out consumer loans, ultimately leaving them in debt and unable to defend their rights.

骗局怎么运作

• Lead Generation Bait: Massive placement of low-cost gimmick ads on short-video and social platforms, such as '9.9 yuan trial courses' or '39.9 yuan toolkits,' emphasizing 'zero experience, no need to appear on camera, and easy 10,000+ yuan monthly income.' The mechanism uses a low barrier to entry to filter for susceptible individuals curious about AI but lacking judgment, funneling them from public platforms into private communities or live-streaming rooms, while using scripts to create a sense of urgency by claiming 'only 10 spots left.'
• Private Community Brainwashing: Once in the community, assistants and shills collaborate to post fake payment screenshots and earnings reports, creating a 'bandwagon effect' where everyone appears to be making money. Lecturers claim in live streams to have mastered the 'AI sales code' and 'passive income secrets.' The mechanism uses information asymmetry to repackage basic open-source tools as 'internal top-secret' software, creating severe anxiety by claiming that failure to learn now will lead to obsolescence, forcing victims to make impulsive purchases.
• High-Priced Course Sales: After brainwashing, the scammers sell advanced courses and agency services ranging from thousands to tens of thousands of yuan, promising one-stop tools like viral video script generation and automated editing. They claim students will recoup their investment within the month, while deliberately hiding that the tools are mostly 'wrapped' public interfaces or cobbled-together scripts. The actual output is low-quality and heavily throttled by platforms. The mechanism uses a one-time cognitive gap to quickly harvest high tuition fees.
• Customized Order Platforms and Cashback Loops: Agencies provide customized order-taking platforms or exclusive sales links, falsely claiming that students only need to distribute content to generate traffic and income. In reality, both commissions and traffic are manipulated by the agency. The mechanism creates an illusion of small earnings within a closed data environment to extend the harvesting cycle, inducing students to invest further in 'partnership' tiers after being lulled by small, fake cashbacks.
• Inducing Loans and Exit Scams: When victims realize the system is ineffective and demand refunds, agencies use tactics like offering 'upgraded tools' or 'full-refund promises' to keep them hooked, or even guiding them to open consumer credit lines (like Huabei or Baitiao) to pay for even more expensive courses. The mechanism forces victims into a 'sunk cost' trap and uses third-party installment platforms to evade direct liability. Once complaints surge, the scammers dissolve the shell company, change their brand, and start the scam anew.

红旗信号（看到这些快跑）

• 🚩 Promises of fixed, high-yield returns such as 'zero experience, 10,000+ yuan monthly income' or 'passive automated sales.' Such guarantees of principal and profit are red flags in compliant training programs.
• 🚩 Repackaging public open-source tools (like basic large model interfaces) as 'internal top-secret' toolkits and selling them at high prices, while refusing to provide supplier or copyright information.
• 🚩 Emphasizing that only a few spots remain or that prices will rise if not purchased tonight, accompanied by shills posting fake earnings screenshots and creating a fanatical atmosphere in the group.
• 🚩 The so-called order-taking platforms or sales links are provided by the agency itself with opaque data; the small earnings seen by students cannot be withdrawn or explained.
• 🚩 Delays, blocking, or demands to sign strict non-disclosure agreements before processing partial refunds, or even using gathered personal information to blackmail victims into paying again.
• 🚩 Guiding or assisting victims in using consumer loans to pay high tuition fees, while avoiding any discussion of the source of funds or repayment risks.

真实案例

• According to reports from CNR and Beijing Daily in March 2026, an agency charged a student nearly 10,000 yuan for an 'AI automated sales' course, promising passive income. The student earned only a hundred yuan in commissions while the platform throttled their traffic. When the student requested a refund, they were blocked. The agency continues to change its name to evade complaints.
• According to Xinhua News Agency on March 17, 2026, young victims were lured by a customized order-taking site, investing tens of thousands in tuition and being guided to take out online loans for 'advanced courses.' They faced repayment pressure without any income, and customer service became unreachable when they requested refunds.
• According to a 36Kr special report, multiple elderly groups were lured into groups via 9.9 yuan AI courses on short-video platforms. After paying thousands, they were repeatedly induced to buy advanced courses, only to find the content consisted of low-quality, plagiarized scripts. One woman was defrauded of over 20,000 yuan with no recourse.
• According to an analysis of an AI course case disclosed by Sina Finance in April 2026, the agency used forged earnings screenshots and a multi-level partnership model. Hundreds of students were defrauded, and the responsible parties were later held accountable for fraud and false advertising.
• In February 2026, the Supreme People's Court released typical telecom fraud cases: Xu Mou-nan and others established 'Siyue Education' in November 2022, falsely claiming to provide part-time jobs and 'onboarding training,' defrauding job seekers of over 22 million yuan in tuition. In September 2023, Zhang Mou established 'Chengyu Education,' defrauding another 7 million yuan. The case was tried by the Shanghai Songjiang District People's Court, and the mastermind Xu Mou-nan was sentenced to 11 years and 3 months in prison. (Source: https://www.court.gov.cn/zixun/xiangqing/490051.html)
• In March 2026, an investigation by Beijing Daily reported that Guangzhou Qingzhou Intelligent Information Co., Ltd. charged students 9,510 yuan for 'AI automated sales,' with students earning only a hundred yuan in commissions. On January 13, 2026, Guangzhou Panyu police sealed the company on suspicion of fraud. (Source: https://news.bjd.com.cn/2026/03/15/11632325.shtml)

Official Stance

• CNR 'Woodpecker' Consumer Complaint Column: 'Investigation into AI Automated Sales Training Chaos,' published March 15, 2026, warning students to be wary of high tuition fees and false rebate promises in the name of AI tools.
• Xinhua News Agency: 'Customized Scam Sites, Induced Loans, and No Refund Channels: AI Training Preys on Young People,' published March 17, 2026, pointing out that such training often involves false advertising and loan inducement.
• Nanfang Daily: 'Beware of AI Training: False Advertising and Refund Difficulties,' published March 16, 2026, calling on regulators to strictly investigate unqualified training programs using AI as a gimmick and to ensure accessible refund channels.

How to Protect Yourself

• ✅ Verify Qualifications and Authorization: Before paying, demand the institution show its school permit or business scope, and request written documentation regarding the source of the AI tools, API origins, and authorization certificates.
• ✅ Reject 'Guaranteed Income' Scripts: Any mention of '10,000+ monthly income,' 'passive income,' or 'automated monetization' should be treated as a high-risk signal. Record chat screenshots and screen recordings as evidence for reporting.
• ✅ Beware of Consumer Loans and Group Scripts: If guided to open installment plans or consumer loans to pay tuition, terminate immediately. Do not trust earnings screenshots sent by shills; proactively verify the withdrawal process.
• ✅ Retain Evidence and File Official Complaints: Always pay through traceable channels and keep contracts. If you discover you cannot withdraw funds or encounter false advertising, file a complaint with market regulators and the 12315 platform.