Beware of fraudulent Olympic Games tickets, souvenirs and stock tips, Shanghai police warned yesterday after a spate of recent cases.

Rare tickets for the opening ceremony of the Beijing Olympic Games were often used as bait, police said. Suspects sent messages to victims via SMS or the Internet telling them they had won tickets and asking them to deposit small sums covering taxes and express mail to a nominated bank account.

Others promoted fake Olympic Games souvenirs and mascots, or cheated victims into buying Games-related investment products such as stocks and funds, police said.

They did not reveal the number of Games frauds, but outlined the details of two recent cases.

On August 23, a local Netizen surnamed Li met someone on the Internet and gave the stranger details of his online game account. The suspect then claimed Li had won a ticket to the Olympic Games and a cash prize of 3,800 yuan (US$494).

Acting on the suspect's guidance, the excited victim then deposited 4,520 yuan to cover so-called taxes and express service into an account. However, the suspect was no longer traceable by phone or e-mail after Li paid the money.

On August 19, a woman surnamed Lin alerted police, saying she was defrauded out of about 60,000 yuan by another woman she met while doing morning exercises. The victim, who lives in Zhabei District, said the suspect claimed she had inside information on an Olympic Games fund that would make huge profits.

Lin paid the woman 45,000 yuan to buy into the fund. Later she gave the woman another 15,000 yuan for three Olympic Games gold coins. The suspect disappeared after the second sum of money was transferred, said police.

(Shanghai Daily October 8, 2007)