AI Fitness 'Miracle Data' Scam: Fabricated 5.9 Million Training Endorsements and the 'Still Charging After Deletion' Annual Fee Maze

Who Gets Targeted

Victims are primarily fitness beginners aged 20 to 40, including white-collar women with strong weight-loss goals, postpartum individuals, and students lacking exercise experience. Most are lured via platforms like Douyin and Xiaohongshu by ads promising 'miracle fat loss' and 'AI-tailored customization.' Their psychological vulnerabilities—body and appearance anxiety—are precisely amplified by marketing scripts. Furthermore, the 'AI high-tech' halo effect leads them to believe algorithmic output is inherently scientific. Combined with the low-cost illusion of '1-yuan trials' and loss aversion, they often pay within minutes. Afterward, they abandon efforts to protect their rights due to complex cancellation processes and dismissive customer service, becoming the 'silent majority.'

骗局怎么运作

• Step 1: Anxiety-driven ad targeting: Ads promising 'miracle fat loss' and 'AI-customized training based on your body data' are placed on platforms like Douyin, Xiaohongshu, and Instagram. The scripts target body and appearance anxiety, claiming 'results in days' and 'scientific algorithmic backing' to induce downloads. The mechanism relies on the 'AI high-tech' halo to override rational judgment, driving victims to skip product verification and install immediately.
• Step 2: Free hooks and hidden clauses: After downloading, users are guided by '0-yuan assessment' or 'limited-time 1-yuan trial' offers to fill out questionnaires about weight, body fat, and age, and to link payment information. The payment page defaults to 'auto-renewal' and 'annual subscription' in tiny font or collapsed menus. The mechanism uses free or ultra-low prices to lower decision-making costs, while using obscure terms to evade the operator's duty of prominent disclosure. Typical script: 'Unlock your exclusive AI coach for just 1 yuan.'
• Step 3: Random templates masquerading as AI: There is no real machine learning inference in the backend. Instead, 'custom plans' are randomly selected or simply permuted from a pre-set library, accompanied by unverifiable marketing figures like 'based on 5.9 million training sessions, 40,000 user data points' and '20% strength increase in 30 days.' The mechanism relies on near-zero marginal costs for template generation and fabricated data to create a sense of professionalism, which average users cannot verify.
• Step 4: Silent transition to annual billing: After the free or low-cost trial ends, the system deducts hundreds to thousands of yuan in annual fees without a clear pop-up reminder. The cancellation entry is buried deep within multi-layer menus. The mechanism exploits the default auto-renewal settings in Apple and Google subscription systems; uninstalling the app does not terminate billing. Charges are only disclosed after the fact via fine print on bills or email terms, creating a time and information gap.
• Step 5: AI customer service delays refunds: When users discover the charges and contact support, they receive robotic responses or copy-pasted scripts, refusing refunds on the grounds that 'virtual goods have been delivered' or 'terms were clearly stated,' or offering '14-day membership extensions' to further delay. The mechanism aims to drag the process past the payment platform's refund window. Once refund channels for Apple, Alipay, or WeChat close, the actual refund rate is pushed to near zero. Script: 'We have issued a complimentary membership extension, thank you for your understanding.'
• Step 6: High cost of stopping losses: Victims are eventually forced to manually cancel via the subscription management page in the App Store or Google Play. The entry is deeply nested and uses obscure terminology. Some are forced to change bank cards or revoke payment authorization to stop the charges. The mechanism shifts the entire cognitive and operational burden of cancellation onto the consumer, leading many small-sum victims to give up, resulting in 'silent losses.'

红旗信号（看到这些快跑）

• 🚩 Ad copy uses absolute terms like 'miracle,' 'targeted fat burning,' '7-day weight loss,' or 'AI-customized' that cannot be quantified or verified, while refusing to disclose algorithmic principles or scientific basis.
• 🚩 Payment pages bundle 'free trials' or '1-yuan experiences' with 'auto-renewal' and 'annual fees,' featuring long, unreadable terms with checkboxes pre-selected or hidden in collapsed menus.
• 🚩 Claims of 'based on millions of training sessions,' 'tens of thousands of user data points,' or '20% improvement in 30 days,' with no verifiable public data or independent third-party reviews available on the official website.
• 🚩 Generating 'professional-grade' training plans after only a few simple questions, with generation times inconsistent with deep learning capabilities, and plans that are highly similar to free online templates.
• 🚩 No significant billing reminders before or after the trial ends, only fine print in billing emails or within the app; the 'cancel subscription' entry is hidden, and there are no warnings about billing consequences before or after the action.
• 🚩 Recent negative reviews in app stores are concentrated and highly similar, with keywords like 'auto-billing,' 'cannot cancel,' and 'customer service robot,' showing polarized ratings.

真实案例

• According to an exclusive report by EBC News, a user downloaded an unknown free app and, after starting a free trial, was continuously charged without clear notice. After multiple failed attempts to contact customer service, they were forced to change their bank card to stop the charges. The headline pointed to 'free trial turns into billing' and warned that uninstalling the app does not stop charges.
• According to a report by Line Today citing ZaoKa, a user was charged 7,000 yuan after downloading a 'free app.' Charges continued even after the app was uninstalled, and the user had to manually cancel via the system subscription page to stop them. The report noted that similar complaints about 'deleting doesn't work' are widespread.
• According to public complaint platforms like Black Cat Complaints, complaints regarding 'fitness apps auto-renewing annual fees after free trials' remained high between 2025 and 2026. Users reported being charged hundreds to thousands of yuan without prominent notice, and refund requests were frequently rejected with the 'virtual goods delivered' script—a common industry tactic.
• In September 2026, Jiemian News investigated the Duolingo app's free trial consumer trap. Users clicking the 7-day free trial for a family plan were charged the 738 yuan annual fee immediately without a trial countdown. Other users were charged 958 yuan after seven days, or between 588 and 998 yuan before the trial ended. Victims found themselves in a deadlock between the app and Apple regarding refunds. (Source: https://www.jiemian.com/article/15126946.html)
• In November 2021, the Shanghai Consumer Council tested 12 popular apps for auto-renewal policies, finding some charged users 3 days early, sparking controversy. A Southern Metropolis Daily reporter found over 60,801 complaints on Black Cat Complaints using 'auto-renewal' as a keyword. The report noted that some platforms earn 'memory tax' through early billing and complex cancellation processes, forcing consumers to pay for an extra month even if they cancel on the expiration date. (Source: https://m.mp.oeeee.com/a/BAAFRD000020211124627315.html)

Official Stance

• Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (2026, 54th Notification): As reported by cybersecurity media and ITBear, this notification named 22 apps and SDKs for issues like 'forced renewal,' explicitly including auto-renewal chaos as a key focus for annual rectification.
• Cyberspace Administration of China (December 2025): Deployed special governance for new forms of AI-humanoid services, focusing on requirements for minor-protection modes, AI content generation, and labeling, signaling a clear stance against using AI concepts to evade regulation.
• China Media Group (CCTV) (Reported by Beijing Daily App in 2026): Exposed AI training consumer traps where over a thousand consumers were defrauded of more than one million yuan, warning that the 'AI concept' is being widely used to harvest consumers and urging the public to be wary of exaggerated claims and hidden charges.

How to Protect Yourself

• ✅ Check negative reviews from the last 30 days in the app store before downloading. Search for keywords like 'auto-renewal,' 'billing,' and 'cancel subscription.' Avoid any app where negative reviews are highly similar or concentrated on billing issues.
• ✅ Do not link real bank cards to any 'free trial' or '1-yuan experience.' Consider disabling password-free payments for Alipay, WeChat, and Apple Pay. Read subscription terms and auto-renewal disclosures line-by-line before trying.
• ✅ If already subscribed, immediately go to the 'Subscriptions' page in your Apple ID or Google Play settings to manually turn off auto-renewal and take a screenshot as evidence. Do not just uninstall the app—uninstalling does not stop billing.
• ✅ Save screenshots of advertisements, billing records, and customer service communication. File complaints with 12315, Black Cat Complaints, or local consumer protection agencies. Simultaneously, initiate refund requests through payment platforms like Alipay, WeChat, or Apple. For large losses, report to the police and report the non-compliant app to 12321.