Avoid any “investment-based senior care” schemes that require upfront payments: card enrollment, prepaid care fees, buying senior housing units, travel-based care programs, and sales of senior products all fall under the same category of illegal fundraising.

No cost at all. Simply read the following list of common tactics to seniors; it takes just a few minutes. In the future, use this list to reject any such offers outright: don’t attend informational sessions, don’t visit facilities, and don’t leave contact details. The real challenge arises when seniors have already attended several sessions and formed relationships with promoters — in those cases, convincing them to back off becomes much harder.

The Civil Affairs Bureau has identified five primary patterns used by fraudsters; recognizing these patterns is far more reliable than trusting individual promoters. First, fake senior care organizations: these entities lack any physical presence and merely rent temporary venues while falsely claiming partnerships with legitimate care providers. Second, “senior care services” marketed via premium cards, membership passes, or prepaid plans that promise far more services than their actual capacity can deliver. Third, “investment in senior care projects” — including fictitious senior housing developments, long-term bed leases, and so-called “time bank” mutual care systems — often advertised with promises of principal return, rental guarantees, or buyback agreements. Fourth, sales of “senior products” involving product buybacks, consignment sales, loyalty discounts, complimentary health screenings, gift giveaways, conference promotions, wellness seminars, and expert medical consultations. Fifth, “travel-based senior care” packages featuring discounted or free trips, stored-value rewards, and points-based care programs. Legal statutes explicitly state that all financial losses resulting from participation in illegal fundraising must be borne by the victims themselves. Official statistics illustrate the scale of this problem: Dai and accomplices stole 136,000,000 yuan through similar schemes, affecting over 2,100 victims; Dai received a 15-year prison term plus a 400,000 yuan fine. Cao orchestrated a fraud totaling 13,207,000,000 yuan, impacting more than 110,000 people; he was sentenced to life imprisonment with permanent political rights revocation and full asset confiscation. Some health product promoters also employ fraud tactics: Ni lured seniors through free meals, gifts, and private transportation to attend lectures where “experts” fabricated anti-cancer benefits using false testimonials and inflated pricing; seniors ended up paying dozens of times the actual cost for a compound called dihydroquercetin. Ni received a 10-year-and-3-month sentence plus a 120,000 yuan fine. (National regulations effective May 1, 2021.)

民政部 (2023). 关于养老服务领域非法集资的风险提示. https://www.gov.cn/lianbo/bumen/202306/content_6886556.htm（中国政府网发布）；民政部、中国银保监会 (2021). 关于养老领域非法集资的风险提示. https://www.mca.gov.cn/n152/n164/c36171/content.html；国务院 (2021). 防范和处置非法集资条例（国务院令第 737 号，第二、二十五、三十条）. https://www.gov.cn/zhengce/zhengceku/2021-02/10/content_5586632.htm；最高人民检察院 (2022). 检察机关打击整治养老诈骗犯罪典型案例. https://www.spp.gov.cn/xwfbh/wsfbt/202206/t20220617_560010.shtml；最高人民法院 (2025). 依法惩治涉民生领域诈骗犯罪典型案例（案例五 倪某荣诈骗案）. https://www.court.gov.cn/zixun/xiangqing/482861.html

Determining whether a program is legitimate should never rely on superficial impressions like “this organization looks reputable”; instead, focus on two clear indicators: does it demand an upfront payment, and does it promise financial returns? Legitimate senior care providers offer services rather than investment opportunities; any mention of returns, profits, or principal guarantees immediately disqualifies them. While it is difficult to prevent seniors from attending informational sessions, travel excursions, or medical screenings, the critical moment for intervention is when a payment is requested; this aligns perfectly with the dual-confirmation rule outlined in section 3. Once payment has already occurred, immediately contact police at 110 or the anti-fraud hotline 96110 to request a payment freeze, and simultaneously report the incident to local authorities responsible for handling illegal fundraising cases. Separate from these schemes, “housing reverse mortgage insurance” represents a distinct financial mechanism; refer to section 6 for further details.