Smartwatch "Air-Based Uric Acid and Cholesterol Testing" Scam: Private Live Streams Lure Seniors into Spending Over 10,000 Yuan Monthly via Free Health Checks

Who Gets Targeted

Victims are primarily seniors over 60 living alone or semi-independently in urban areas who suffer from high anxiety regarding chronic disease management. They often live apart from their children, are proficient in using WeChat but lack scientific literacy, and are susceptible to emotional hooks like 'the host is like family.' They typically have underlying conditions like hypertension, diabetes, or high uric acid, and are strongly attracted by the promise of 'testing without needles or blood draws.' They develop emotional dependence on the host, and despite the exorbitant prices, they rush to purchase due to pressure tactics like 'only a few units left' or 'host subsidies.' Afterward, they are often too embarrassed to tell their children, and the window for seeking refunds is extremely short.

骗局怎么运作

• Step 1: Lead Generation: Using 'free blood pressure checks' or 'free eggs and groceries' as bait at offline stores or community events, seniors are added to exclusive WeChat groups. The group shares daily health videos and live stream links, where the host adopts a 'caring daughter/health steward' persona to build emotional connections before guiding them into private live streams.
• Step 2: Pseudoscience Packaging: The host showcases a so-called 'smart health watch' in the live stream, claiming it can 'measure uric acid, cholesterol, blood sugar, and even tumor markers without needles or blood draws.' By using fake testing animations and 'real-time' demonstrations, they package ordinary photoelectric heart rate sensors as medical-grade 'black technology,' claiming they provide disease warning and therapeutic functions.
• Step 3: Anxiety Amplification: The host repeatedly suggests that 'uncontrolled high uric acid leads to uremia' or 'high cholesterol is a precursor to heart attacks and strokes.' They fabricate stories, such as 'an uncle in the group didn't wear the watch and suffered a sudden stroke,' to create panic, convincing seniors that not buying the watch means abandoning their health and missing the best window for intervention.
• Step 4: Hidden Subscription Traps: Activating the watch automatically binds the senior's phone number and subscribes them to 'Health Steward Annual Passes' or 'Cloud Health Monitoring Services.' Hundreds to thousands of yuan are automatically deducted from WeChat Pay or bank cards monthly. Seniors, often unable to check their statements, remain unaware for a long time. During live streams, hosts frequently push 'upgraded health packages,' 'online consultations with top-tier hospital experts,' or 'specialized treatment kits,' easily pushing monthly spending over 10,000 yuan.
• Step 5: Post-Sale Ghosting: When seniors realize the watch data is inaccurate or that the 'expert consultation' is just a pre-recorded video, they request a refund. However, the WeChat group is set to 'mute,' customer service replies only with 'no returns once unsealed,' or they simply block the user. Because these operations occur in private, closed-loop environments with fragmented orders and frequently changing business entities, they are difficult for platforms to intercept. Most victims eventually give up due to the small individual amounts and difficulty in gathering evidence.

红旗信号（看到这些快跑）

• 🚩 Claims that blood biochemical indicators like uric acid, cholesterol, and tumor markers can be measured 'through the air' or 'non-contact' are far beyond the capabilities of current wearable technology and completely contradict medical common sense.
• 🚩 Sales occur exclusively in private live streams or WeChat groups; the same model or brand cannot be found on mainstream e-commerce platforms. Hosts create a sense of scarcity with 'internal subsidy prices' or 'limited stock' to pressure users into buying.
• 🚩 Activating the watch defaults to subscribing to 'Health Steward Services' or 'Cloud Monitoring.' The first month is free, but subsequent months are charged automatically, with the cancellation menu hidden deep in sub-menus.
• 🚩 So-called 'top-tier hospital expert consultations' are actually pre-recorded generic videos or impersonators using fake profile pictures. There is no real-time interaction, and they cannot issue any stamped medical reports.
• 🚩 Customer service is evasive during refund requests, WeChat groups are muted, and users are blocked. The business entities change frequently, are registered in remote locations, or are linked to multiple shell companies.

真实案例

• According to a 21st Century Business Herald report in July 2026, a private live stream platform continued operations after being exposed by 'rebranding.' Hosts demonstrated smartwatches measuring uric acid and cholesterol 'in the air,' with multiple seniors reporting monthly spending over 10,000 yuan. Regulators have intervened to investigate.
• According to NetEase News, the private live stream platform 'Yueling Life' was exposed for false advertising. It used nearly 20,000 associated stores nationwide to lure seniors into private live streams with free health lectures and gifts, eventually selling high-priced health supplements and cheap device bundles. Many seniors were defrauded of tens of thousands of yuan.
• According to China Youth Net in August 2026, 'Zhongbai Zhijia' packaged ordinary food costing about 7 yuan as 'special supply miracle medicine,' using smart device 'health check' scripts to sell to seniors for over 10,000 yuan per transaction. The company was later fined 500,000 yuan by market regulators, and responsible parties were investigated.
• In June 2026, the Liwan Branch of the Guangzhou Public Security Bureau cracked a major health supplement fraud case. Salespeople invited seniors to stores for 'free health checks,' using instruments on their heads to claim 'blockages in the body' to induce panic. They then sold maltodextrin (costing pennies) as high-end supplements. A 79-year-old woman spent 40,000 yuan, and some seniors spent over 60,000 yuan. On June 11, police raided 7 locations, arrested 120 suspects, and secured evidence from two factories. (Source: https://m.gmw.cn/2026-07/17/content_1304534217.htm)
• In April 2026, the Yangquan High-tech Zone Market Supervision Bureau in Shanxi inspected the Xinfu Health Consulting Service Center. The center sold hydrogen-oxygen machines and offered free hydrogen inhalation, claiming in videos that 'hydrogen aids in cancer prevention and clears toxic free radicals.' The product was actually a common household appliance, not a medical device. The center was ordered to stop illegal activities and fined 50,000 yuan. This was one of nine typical cases of unfair competition in the elderly care sector released by the State Administration for Market Regulation. (Source: https://m.163.com/dy/article/L5RA5D0I0514R9OJ.html)

Official Stance

• On April 9, 2026, the National Health Commission of China issued a warning regarding private marketing infringing on the health rights of the elderly, explicitly stating that claims of 'non-contact blood biochemical testing' are suspected of false advertising and illegal medical practice.
• On March 18, 2026, Xinhua Net (Zhejiang) reported that regulatory authorities in Zhejiang and other regions are cracking down on the 'preying on the silver-haired group,' strengthening joint enforcement against false health testing via smart devices and high-priced sales in private live streams.
• On July 13, 2026, the Zhongning County Public Security Bureau in Ningxia reported the cracking of a major series of online host elderly fraud cases involving the sale of fake health products via private live streams. Suspects have been placed under criminal coercive measures, serving as a typical warning case.
• The Yichun Market Supervision Bureau issued compliance guidelines for 'elderly-related' product advertisements, explicitly classifying claims like 'air-based testing' and 'smartwatches replacing hospital exams' as false and misleading, requiring advertisers and platforms to assume corresponding review responsibilities.

How to Protect Yourself

• ✅ Children should regularly help seniors check WeChat Pay and bank statements. If unknown 'health service' or 'cloud monitoring' charges are found, cancel them immediately and contact WeChat Pay customer service to appeal and freeze the merchant.
• ✅ Any claim of 'testing blood biochemical indicators without needles or blood draws' should be immediately dismissed as false. All compliant wearable devices can only monitor physical signals like heart rate and blood oxygen; they cannot replace blood tests. Exit the live stream and report it immediately upon hearing such scripts.
• ✅ Before purchasing, check the National Medical Products Administration (NMPA) website to see if the product has a medical device registration certificate. If it only has 3C certification or is registered as a common electronic product, it has no diagnostic function. Do not buy.
• ✅ Remind seniors not to provide phone numbers, ID numbers, or bank card numbers in WeChat groups or live streams. Before activating any device, children should confirm the terms, especially hidden clauses like 'auto-renewal' or 'scheduled deductions.'
• ✅ If defrauded, immediately save screenshots of the live stream, transfer records, customer service chats, and shipping labels. Call 12315 to complain and report to local market regulators or the police to initiate multi-departmental action and increase the chances of recovery.