"Why Is This Coming Out of the Room?"... College Student Visits 63 Hotels to Receive Compensation

Extorting Money Through Refunds and Compensation Claims

In China, it was revealed that a man in his 20s extorted money from over 60 hotels using cockroaches and contraceptive devices.

A man in his 20s from China extorted money from over 60 hotels using cockroaches and used contraceptives. Photo by Jimu News capture

On the 29th, the Hong Kong South China Morning Post (SCMP) reported that a 21-year-old man, Mr. A, from Taizhou, Zhejiang Province, who had squandered his college tuition on travel, resorted to visiting 63 hotels to extort money by pretending that cockroaches and used condoms were found in the accommodations, threatening the hotels to receive free stays and compensation.

The Zhejiang police stated, "For 10 months, Mr. A mostly stayed in hotels. On some days, he checked into 3 to 4 hotels in a single day." They explained, "He would place minor defects, insects, bugs, or hair in advance and then complain to the hotels or share the issues online to demand free stays or monetary compensation."

The affected hotels reportedly complied with most of Mr. A’s demands to maintain their reputation. Meanwhile, his fraudulent activities were uncovered last August. When Mr. A demanded 400 yuan (about 77,000 KRW) citing hygiene issues at one of the victim hotels, the hotel manager, Mr. B, reported Mr. A to the police on suspicion of extortion. Mr. B said, "I was suspicious of his complaints about bugs and hair in the room," and added, "After discussing this case with several other hotels, we discovered a recurring pattern in Mr. A’s behavior."

Investigations revealed that since November of last year, Mr. A had stayed at over 380 hotels, with most of them issuing refunds. After police investigated hotels in five regions to collect additional evidence, it was found that Mr. A committed 63 fraud cases, extorting a total of more than 38,000 yuan (approximately 7.32 million KRW). The police who arrested Mr. A discovered 23 packages containing items used in the scams among his belongings. These included dead cockroaches and used condoms. The police are investigating whether there are further offenses, and the case has been transferred to the Linhai People’s Procuratorate for additional legal procedures.

Upon hearing this news, local netizens expressed outrage. They reacted with comments such as, "Now he’ll get free accommodation in prison," "Did he major in fraud and deception at university?" and "His parents must have worked hard to send him to college, but he not only skipped school but also committed fraud," showing their anger.