Undercover investigative reporter in China exposes consumer scam in corrupt used car company
Mar 19, 2021
Beijing [China], March 19 : An investigative reporter in China went undercover to expose how a corrupt used car company was cheating consumers by charging prices for vehicles that were higher than their true value.
The reporter Lao K He performed so well that he became vice-director of the company with a dozen staff under him before he revealed the company's corruption, reported South China Morning Post (SCMP).
Phoebe Zhang, writing for SCMP wrote that the reporter's boss feared the higher salary and perks of the fake job might lead him to defect! The new job came with benefits; his salary doubled and was several times higher than his salary at CCTV.
"I was so anxious that I worked extra hard, and my performance improved exponentially, and I went from a regular salesperson to the vice-director of the company," the reporter was quoted as saying.
"I've never been in such a high position that I even felt a little arrogant," "If you didn't tell him to pull back in time, he would've become the CEO of the company," one comment said on Weibo, the Chinese microblogging site.
Lao K recounted his experience on Tuesday in a CCTV video and revealed that a few years ago he had gone undercover at the used car company.
With access to insider documents that showed the company bought and sold used cars at different prices, sometimes more than 5,000 yuan (USD 768), and was profiting from the difference.
The expose was revealed on the 315 Show hosted by state broadcaster China Central Television (CCTV). Every year, CCTV hosts an annual consumer rights show, similar to the CBS network's 60 Minutes, which features months-long undercover investigations, reported SCMP.
After the show's broadcast, companies offered a public apology. In the past, it has drawn apologies from famous brands including Volkswagen and Apple.
Many have compared the reporter's commitment to the daring expose to the famous undercover Hong Kong film Infernal Affairs, during which police and gangs plant moles on the other side.
After the 315 show, Lao K had left the car company and is now working undercover elsewhere, reported SCMP.
