HomeCare AI: Fraudulent medical-grade diagnostic equipment scam targeting nursing homes with annual fee schemes and subsequent disappearances

Who Gets Targeted

Victims are primarily nursing homes in second- and third-tier cities and counties, often managed by private or non-profit entities. The managers, typically aged 45 to 60, have limited knowledge of AI technology but are keen to enhance their institutions' image. They are frequently misled by endorsements from 'National Health Centers' or 'International Medical Teams,' and are lulled into a false sense of security by the professional appearance of the devices and demo data claiming to 'predict cancer.' Once a purchase is made, they often pay the full amount or a large deposit as per the contract, only to discover the company has vanished when annual service fees are due or support is needed. Losses range from hundreds of thousands to over a million yuan.

骗局怎么运作

• Step 1: Packaging with high-end endorsements. Scammers forge authorization documents from institutions like the 'Chinese Academy of Sciences Health Center' or 'International Medical Alliance,' create professional-looking websites and brochures, emphasize that the devices contain 'medical-grade AI chips' and can 'measure 12,000 indicators,' and include expired or fake patent numbers to project authority.
• Step 2: Using free trials to penetrate nursing homes. Scammers gain access to nursing homes through sales seminars or 'public welfare health lectures,' offering a free one-week trial. The devices are pre-programmed with report templates that output alarming conclusions like '98% cardiovascular risk,' paired with sales pitches about 'predicting diseases 1-5 years in advance' to create a sense of urgency.
• Step 3: Fabricating government procurement cases. Scammers display forged 'procurement recommendation letters from local Civil Affairs Bureaus' or 'cooperation certificates from Grade-A hospitals,' and arrange for shills to pose as 'heads of institutions that have already purchased the equipment' to provide testimonials, claiming the devices significantly reduced sudden illness rates among residents.
• Step 4: High-priced dumping and bundled annual fees. Device quotes are typically 5 to 10 times the market price for similar products, ranging from 100,000 to 300,000 yuan per unit, with mandatory 'AI cloud monitoring service fees' of 20,000 to 50,000 yuan per year, often requiring a three-year upfront payment. Scammers use the excuse that 'government subsidy projects require advance funding' to demand that nursing homes transfer payments to personal accounts.
• Step 5: Disappearing after payment. About three months after the contract is signed, the devices begin to malfunction frequently, and customer service becomes unreachable. The scammers dissolve the original company and establish a new entity; in some cases, they even clear out their showrooms overnight. Nursing homes later discover the devices are merely generic electronic products with no medical device registration, and all diagnostic reports were generated by software templates.

红旗信号（看到这些快跑）

• 🚩 The device is marketed as 'medical-grade' but the supplier cannot provide a 'Medical Device Registration Certificate' or 'Medical Device Production License'.
• 🚩 The price is far higher than similar products on the market, and there is a mandatory, high-cost prepaid annual fee with vague contract terms.
• 🚩 Patent numbers in promotional materials are blurry; checking the National Intellectual Property Administration website reveals the patents are expired or invalid.
• 🚩 Payment is requested to be made to a personal account or a non-corporate account, and the seller refuses to issue a formal invoice (fapiao).
• 🚩 The seller claims 'government recommendation' or 'Grade-A hospital cooperation' but cannot provide official red-headed documents or official hospital certifications.
• 🚩 The demo report templates are overly sensational, such as 'predicting cancer 5 years in advance'; legitimate medical devices never make such promises.

真实案例

• In September 2026, the Suzhou Municipal Administration for Market Regulation released a typical 'Consumer Protection' case: A health technology company in Zhangjiagang promoted 'AI health repair instruments' to the elderly via store displays, WeChat official accounts, and video channels, claiming they could measure 12,000 indicators and predict diseases 1-5 years in advance. In reality, they were generic electronic products, and the three patent certificates provided had all expired. Law enforcement authorities imposed penalties accordingly. (Source: http://www.laorenban.com/2026%E5%B9%B4%E6%96%B0%E5%9E%8B%E9%AA%97%E5%B1%80%E6%9B%9D%E5%85%89%EF%BC%9A%E4%BA%91%E7%AB%AF%E5%85%BB%E6%AE%96%E3%80%81ai%E6%8D%A2%E8%84%B8%E4%B8%93%E7%9B%AF%E8%80%81%E5%B9%B4%E4%BA%BA%EF%BC%81)
• In February 2026, Toutiao reported: 'Emergency Alert! AI medical examination equipment becomes a new tool for elderly-care fraud.' Scammers forged the names of the 'Chinese Academy of Sciences Health Center' and 'International Medical Teams,' claiming the devices could 'predict cancer in just 5 minutes,' targeting nursing homes with large-scale scams.
• In March 2026, an article on the 'Smzdm' platform exposed the 'AI medical checkup gadget' scam: The products were compact and expensive, claiming to be 'patented' and 'AI-powered,' but lacked medical device qualifications. They were sold to the elderly through community public welfare experience sessions, and many elderly people in various regions have fallen victim. (Source: http://www.laorenban.com/2026%E5%B9%B4%E6%96%B0%E5%9E%8B%E9%AA%97%E5%B1%80%E6%9B%9D%E5%85%89%EF%BC%9A%E4%BA%91%E7%AB%AF%E5%85%BB%E6%AE%96%E3%80%81ai%E6%8D%A2%E8%84%B8%E4%B8%93%E7%9B%AF%E8%80%81%E5%B9%B4%E4%BA%BA%EF%BC%81)

Official Stance

• On June 24, 2026, the Ministry of Public Security released 'Latest Warning from the Ministry of Public Security! 4 New Types of Scams in 2026 Are Emptying the Elderly's Accounts' via the '10100' anti-fraud platform, specifically naming AI device scams and warning nursing homes and families to be vigilant.
• On February 23, 2025, the Toutiao Anti-Fraud Channel published 'Emergency Alert! AI medical examination equipment becomes a new tool for elderly-care fraud!', exposing the scam of forging 'Chinese Academy of Sciences Health Center' and calling for stricter institutional audits.
• On June 30, 2026, CCTV reported that police in Liwan District, Guangzhou, criminally detained suspects in a case involving a fake 'health center' used to defraud money, which included using AI health testing as a pretext to scam elderly nursing homes. The case is currently under investigation.

How to Protect Yourself

• ✅ Before purchasing, require suppliers to provide the original business license, medical device registration certificate, and production license. Verify the registration number against the actual product on the National Medical Products Administration (NMPA) website.
• ✅ Avoid the 'free trial + sales seminar' model. Legitimate medical device sales do not use public welfare lectures or gift-giving to induce contracts.
• ✅ All payments must be made to corporate accounts; request formal invoices. Refuse any requests for payment to personal accounts or 'prepaid annual fee' clauses. Pay annual fees quarterly to minimize risk.
• ✅ Be wary of claims like 'predicting cancer' or '5-year early warning.' No medical device is permitted to use such absolute language. Report such claims to the local Administration for Market Regulation.