Fraud and Scams

Fraud and scams break trust and causes financial harm. Scammers use social engineering, impersonation, and false promises to manipulate vulnerable individuals, often causing monetary loss and emotional distress. We want to remove fraud and scam content and disrupt scam networks to protect our community, improve financial security and preserve the integrity of our platform.

WeChat prohibits conduct and content which amounts to or promotes fraud or scams.

What counts as fraud?

Fraud is when someone intentionally deceives or misleads others and gains money, property or benefits at the victim's expense.

What is a scam?

A scam is a trick to make you give away personal or financial details, or send money through fake transactions. A scam becomes fraud when scammers actually gain from the deception.

What WeChat prohibits

We do not allow content that purposely deceives, misrepresents, or otherwise defrauds or exploits others for money or property.

We also do not allow content that describes or promotes the following behavior:

a) deceiving others to generate a financial or personal benefit to the detriment of a third party through:

(i) financial scams (e.g. committing fraud by offering free gifts and cash rebates, investment scams, loan scams, transaction fraud, gambling scams, Ponzi or pyramid schemes, money or cash flips or money muling, charity scams and insurance scams);

(ii) dating scams / impersonation (e.g. fictitious story scams, sextortion scams, online dating scams, committing fraud through impersonation and establishment of false businesses and entities);

(iii) job scams (e.g. fake jobs, work from home or get-rich-quick scams);

(iv) impersonation and identity fraud;

(v) professional services fraud (e.g. fake services such as tech support, immigration consulting, legal aid); or

(vi) other fraud or scams (e.g. fraudulent game top-ups, account theft and committing fraud by leveraging on victims’ religion or faith);

b) fraudulently generating a financial or personal benefit at the expense of a third party through fake documents or financial instruments, by creating, selling or buying of:

(i) fake or counterfeit currency or vouchers; or

(ii) fake or forged educational and professional certificates or other documents;

c) money laundering (i.e. concealing the origins of criminally obtained money);

d) dealing in stolen information, goods or services by:

(i) credit card fraud and goods or property purchases with stolen financial information;

(ii) trading of personally identifiable information, fake and misleading user reviews or ratings, credentials for subscription services or coupons; or

(iii) sharing or trading future exam papers or answer sheets;

e) conducting or promoting fundraising, donation drives, or aid campaigns for special or charitable causes without proper authorization from relevant authorities, or misrepresents such campaigns for fraudulent or deceptive purposes;

f) betting manipulation (e.g. match fixing);

g) bribery; or

h) embezzlement.