Chronicle of the 70s-Chapter 326 - 315: Wire Transfer Scam

Mid-August, after the start of autumn, had seen several autumn rains, and the temperature gradually decreased. In the morning, after kissing her two sons who were still groggily sleeping, Li Xianglu and Qin Xi grabbed their bags and went to work.

Li Xianglu’s unit’s autumn work attire was that kind of old-fashioned small lapel suit, dark grey in color, with matching trousers. Li Xianglu wore a white shirt underneath, tied her slightly grown-out hair into a little bunny tail, and on her feet were a pair of black flat leather shoes, which she had been wearing for half a year and found very comfortable.

When they reached the crossroads, they greeted each other and parted ways; Qin Xi had to ride for another ten-plus minutes to reach her destination, while Li Xianglu was already at her unit.

There wasn’t much to prepare; after putting away her bag she just waited for the armored vehicle to deliver the money.

Now, every major bank in the capital had started implementing the plan previously suggested by Li Xianglu. Each bank no longer held large quantities of new notes and gold spontaneously, but stored and retrieved them from the head bank according to a plan.

And if an individual or unit needed to withdraw more than thirty thousand yuan, they had to apply a day in advance. Thus, the bank would write up an application that same evening, and the next morning they would retrieve additional cash.

Of course, if a client requested home delivery, there would be an additional fee involved, which was also a solution discussed by Li Xianglu and Qin Xi.

In her previous life, there had been many cases where people arranged to withdraw money from the bank, and either bank insiders leaked it or outsiders overheard and robbed them right after they left the bank, resulting in unwanted tragedies. Li Xianglu thought that if the banks offered a home delivery service, these situation could be avoided.

However, the bank also had its considerations; personal home delivery services were dismissed, but those for units were accepted.

The armored vehicle arrived quickly outside, and the relevant person in charge went to count and sign for the money, and once all the cash was brought in, the armored car left.

Li Xianglu was responsible for the savings service; after distributing the group’s money, she sat down, and the lobby began to open for business.

Most of the early customers were elderly who required less sleep. If they needed money, they would come early. Having worked there for over a year, Li Xianglu was familiar with most of the elderly men and women in the area, and they would greet each other upon meeting.

Around ten o’clock, when the volume of savings transactions had declined significantly, Li Xianglu finished an ongoing withdrawal transaction. Just as she was about to stand up to pour some hot water, she saw a middle-aged man with a briefcase hurriedly coming in from outside.

As Li Xianglu got up to fetch water, she saw the man approaching and asked if he could withdraw one hundred thousand yuan. Technically, since he hadn’t reserved in advance, it was not possible, but the man was visibly anxious. The proprietor dealing with his case was a man in his thirties named Wu, who had transferred from another bank and was in a dilemma.

Nonetheless, banks are meant to serve everyone, and if a client is really in a hurry, they might try to help. Thus, he went to consult the Director. After the Director inquired about the state of finances from Li Xianglu and learned that they were not particularly tight for the day, he agreed to allow a withdrawal of fifty thousand yuan; the rest had to wait until the next day.

The man was somewhat helpless, but had no choice but to agree.

Just then, a woman in her thirties, full of joy though profusely sweating, entered. Though she was trying to hide it, her smile was evident.

The woman said to the man managing the corporate services with a smile, "Old Huang, we’re really lucky this time."

The man could not hide his joy either and responded, "Yes, it’s really good luck, just a few conversations on the train and we could land such a big deal."

The woman smiled and added, "On the other side, they’ve already wire-transferred fifty percent of the payment for the goods. When we pick up the goods, we’ll pay thirty percent, so we can make a tidy profit without fronting any cash."

The man, clearly excited, though aware they were in a bank—a public space—just nodded with a smile.

For corporate customers, they provided a check to fill out, and Li Xianglu frowned, thinking about the wire transfer payment. These two people were paying thirty percent in cash first?

The more she listened, the more it seemed familiar.

Suddenly, a familiar TV scene flashed across Li Xianglu’s mind. This seemed like a scam she had seen in a TV drama in her previous life.

She then approached and asked, "May I ask what you are withdrawing the cash for?"

Both were taken aback, but since they didn’t have many reservations about the bank, the woman, quite excited, explained: "We are a trading company. A while back, my husband met a manufacturer on a train trip to Beihai, who makes copper wire and wanted us to help sell their merchandise. Just a few days ago, someone approached us wanting to buy copper wire. We signed a contract, and they even wire-transferred fifty percent of the payment. However, we need cash to pick up the goods from the manufacturer, as their delivery is arriving soon, and we need to bring cash to pick up the goods, so we need to withdraw some money."

Li Xianglu frowned and asked, "Didn’t you know that a wire transfer takes a week to process?"

Both nodded, acknowledging that they knew; they had been in business for over a year, and although wire transfers were slow, they would indeed be completed within a week.

Li Xianglu continued, "A wire transfer can be canceled before the funds are credited."

Upon hearing this, both jumped to their feet, mouths agape. The woman, quicker to respond, immediately asked, "Are you saying, the wire transfer can be canceled before it’s credited?"

Li Xianglu nodded and said, "Yes, so I suggest either you also wire transfer the funds, or check why the manufacturer insists on cash payments and not wire transfers."

Both of them doubted this reality, and the man shook his head, saying, "It can’t be; the buyers are from the military, how could it be fake?"

Li Xianglu widened her eyes. The military purchasing copper wire? From a trading company?

Everything seemed exactly like the TV drama she had seen in her previous life, causing her to furrow her brows.

The woman, more sensitive than the man, immediately prohibited him from withdrawing the money. It was okay not to make money, but absolutely not okay to get scammed.

Thus, they greeted Li Xianglu and hurriedly left.

Director Wang had observed everything that had happened. Although he felt that Li Xianglu’s questioning of the customer was somewhat inappropriate, if the individuals were indeed scammers, they would have saved the clients from losing their money, so he didn’t say much.

Li Xianglu thought the situation was very strange. Wire transfer scams started becoming popular only in the 1990s. At that time, people exploited the ability to cancel wire transfers midway to scam many others.

Why was it occurring so early here, especially when telephones weren’t widely used, and many people didn’t understand wire transfers, leading to even more being scammed?

After work, Li Xianglu cycled back home. By then, her twins were being pushed in a cart around the yard by Sister Ma and Leng Qing. This wasn’t a baby stroller, but a cart similar to those used in supermarkets, which Li Jianqing had made. When Minmin was there, all three kids would sit inside, pushed like cargo, yet they were very happy.