AI Training Course Selling Scam: Disguised as Paid Knowledge with False Promises of Over 10,000 in Monthly Income

Who Gets Targeted

The victims are mainly unemployed young people aged 18-35, laid-off workers, office workers seeking side income, and retired middle-aged and older people aged 50-65. These groups generally suffer from anxiety about making money and lack understanding of the actual value of AI technology, making them easy to sway with rhetoric such as 'zero threshold, high returns, regret missing the trend.' Some even borrow money to buy courses, and in the end not only fail to earn income but also have to bear high loan debts.

骗局怎么运作

• Low-price traffic acquisition: Scammers place ads on Douyin, Xiaohongshu, WeChat groups and other channels for '9.9 yuan AI trial course' and '39.9 yuan AI tool pack,' claiming that after learning, users can use AI to make short videos, livestream sell products, and write copy to earn over 10,000 yuan a month, inducing users to add customer service on WeChat to receive the course while screening target users with willingness to pay.
• Brainwashing and pressure to close the sale: In the trial course, instructors fabricate numerous 'student success cases,' show fake income screenshots, package themselves as 'senior AI industry experts,' belittle users' existing skills, and repeatedly stress that 'missing the AI trend means being eliminated by the times,' inducing users to buy regular courses costing from several thousand to tens of thousands of yuan. Some instructors also use phrases such as 'limited-time discount' and 'only a few spots left' to urge users to pay.
• Inducing loans for payment: For users who cannot afford high-priced courses, scammers actively induce them to open online loans or consumer loans, claiming that 'after learning, you can easily repay the loan in the first month,' and even forge documents such as 'employment agreements' and 'guaranteed return promises' to lower users' guard and make them take out loans to pay tuition.
• Shriveled and perfunctory courses: After users pay, most courses they receive are pieced together from free AI tutorials publicly available online, without the so-called 'exclusive monetization techniques.' The so-called '1-on-1 guidance' is perfunctory, and instructors may even continue posting ads in course groups to induce users to buy more expensive products such as 'advanced courses,' 'disciple classes,' and 'private advisory boards.'
• Disappearing and refusing refunds: When users find the course useless and want a refund, scammers either refuse on the basis of standard clauses such as 'no refund if learning hours are not completed' or 'no refund for personal reasons,' or directly block users and shut down the platform. Many users' tuition fees are lost, while they still have to bear loan repayment pressure.

红旗信号（看到这些快跑）

• 🚩 Claiming high-return promises contrary to common sense such as 'learn AI from zero foundation and earn over 10,000 yuan a month' and 'AI passive income project,' with no risk warning;
• 🚩 Frequently promoting high-priced regular courses after low-priced trial courses end, and even actively inducing users to apply for training loans or consumer loans to pay;
• 🚩 Unable to provide verifiable instructor qualification certificates or a detailed course outline, with instructor identities mostly fabricated;
• 🚩 Requiring users to sign contracts containing unfair standard clauses such as 'no refunds under any circumstances' and 'no refund if learning progress exceeds 30%';
• 🚩 Course content is mostly pieced together from free materials publicly available online, with no core practical techniques and no promised monetization channel connection services.

真实案例

• In March 2026, Beijing Daily reported that a training institution named 'AI Livestream Selling Practical Camp' used the gimmick of 'AI automated livestream selling, 30,000 yuan monthly income' to induce 27 trainees to pay tuition of up to 9800 yuan. Some trainees were induced to take out consumer loans with 3.6% annual interest. After completing all courses, the trainees earned at most only 120 yuan in commissions. The amount involved exceeded 200,000 yuan. The institution had previously been complained about by 12 consumers, but it continued to place ads on multiple platforms to attract traffic.
• In March 2026, Xinhua Net reported that a knowledge-paid-content platform launched an 'AI Copywriting Master Class,' claiming that after completion students could receive copywriting orders worth 1,000 yuan per piece, inducing more than 120 young people to buy courses ranging from 3999 yuan to 12999 yuan. The course content was pieced together from free tutorials publicly available online, with no practical operation guidance. When trainees requested refunds, the platform refused on the grounds that 'no refunds are given if more than 30% of the course has been viewed.' The amount involved exceeded 500,000 yuan.
• In April 2026, 36Kr reported that an AI training institution targeting the middle-aged and older market used the selling point of 'AI helps write articles, AI makes videos, earn retirement money every month,' placed ads on short-video platforms, and induced more than 230 middle-aged and older people to pay tuition ranging from 3999 yuan to 12999 yuan. After studying for 3 months, many trainees found they could not obtain the so-called 'guaranteed returns.' The institution has become unreachable, and local police have opened an investigation on suspicion of fraud.
• In March 2026, CNR conducted an investigative report on the chaos in 'AI automated livestream selling' training: the training institution involved used the rhetoric that 'AI is definitely the trend and opportunity of the times' to brainwash trainees, saying the cooperation model was divided into three levels: 3760 yuan, 5210 yuan, and 9510 yuan. Trainee Liang Zhen signed up by paying 5210 yuan without telling her family, hoping to make money through AI livestream selling. After the institution was deserted, only a banner remained reading 'AI livestream selling brings good news; as teacher and friend, fully dutiful.' Panyu police have opened a case and sealed the company on suspicion of fraud. (Source: https://news.bjd.com.cn/2026/03/15/11632325.shtml)
• In October 2025, The Beijing News investigated traps in middle-aged and older adult training such as AI courses promising 'over 1,000 yuan a day': online training institutions exaggerated course effects and used recorded courses to impersonate live courses; complaints on complaint platforms involving online training institutions for middle-aged and older adults involved induced consumption, course content not matching the description, and difficulty obtaining refunds. In October 2024, Mr. Ma's mother from Gansu spent more than 3,000 yuan to sign up for a piano course on Hongsong APP, after which she continued to receive advertising for musical instruments, travel, and health products. A judge of the Olympic Village Tribunal of the Beijing Chaoyang District People's Court found during trial that the course packages involved in litigation were mainly priced at 2580 yuan and 2999 yuan. (Source: https://m.bjnews.com.cn/detail/1761906479168108.html)

Official Stance

• On March 15, 2026, the Cyberspace Administration of China and the Ministry of Education jointly issued the Announcement on Cleaning Up 'AI+'-Related Irregular Training, explicitly prohibiting false training and induced borrowing under the gimmick of the 'AI trend,' and requiring all localities to conduct comprehensive screening of irregular AI training.
• On March 16, 2026, the State Administration for Market Regulation issued a consumer warning, reminding consumers to be alert to false advertising in 'AI training' and 'AI paid knowledge' categories, not to readily believe rhetoric such as 'guaranteed returns' and 'zero threshold, over 10,000 yuan monthly income,' and to carefully verify the institution's qualifications before purchasing high-priced courses.
• On April 2, 2026, the Criminal Investigation Bureau of the Ministry of Public Security issued an anti-fraud reminder, noting that 'AI training loans' scams have recently been frequent and many members of the public have been defrauded. It reminded consumers not to readily believe inducements to take out loans when purchasing high-priced training courses, and to promptly preserve evidence and call the police if they discover they have been defrauded.

How to Protect Yourself

• ✅ Before purchasing training courses, verify the institution's qualifications, ask it to present its business license and school-running permit, check through platforms such as Tianyancha and Qichacha whether the institution has business abnormalities or administrative penalty records, and do not purchase courses from unqualified institutions;
• ✅ Do not readily believe rhetoric such as 'zero threshold, high returns,' 'guaranteed returns,' and 'guaranteed employment.' Any training claiming that 'after completion you can earn over 10,000 yuan a month' may be a scam. Learning AI technology requires long-term accumulation, and there is no possibility of getting rich quickly in the short term;
• ✅ Do not easily apply for training loans or consumer loans. Be highly vigilant of anyone requiring training fees to be paid through loans, and carefully read the terms before signing a loan contract to avoid unnecessary debt;
• ✅ After discovering fraud, promptly preserve evidence such as chat records, payment vouchers, contracts, and course materials, report to the 12315 platform and public security organs as soon as possible, and defend rights through legal channels.