This group of fake migrant workers totaled seven people, six from Henan and one from Sichuan. Peng Wei from Henan was the leader; he was responsible for contacting construction projects. Whenever there was a need for labor, he immediately agreed, gathered the workers, and sent them off. On September 8, 2010, he led six others from Henan to a construction site in Xinghua, Jiangsu. With their bedding rolls, they settled down professionally.
What did they intend to do?
Before the foreman could report to the police, Peng Wei went to the police station first, accusing the foreman of not paying wages. The foreman had no choice but to mediate at the police station, eventually reluctantly compensating them 15,000 yuan to settle the matter.
"If you don't compensate us, we won't leave." Saying this, Peng Wei's gang sat in the foreman's office, cursing and causing trouble. Both sides argued fiercely and even came to blows. Peng Wei, relying on his numbers, refused to back down. The foreman was scolded and beaten, yet this group still wouldn't stop, running to the construction site to cause chaos, disrupting other workers' ability to work normally.
On June 14, 2010, they went to a construction site in Gaogang, Taizhou, working with similar laziness. During lunch on June 16, several workers who were eating together suddenly started vomiting, giving Peng Wei an opportunity to claim that the food was unclean and demand compensation from the foreman. On June 17, facing dismissal, they used the same tricks to obtain compensation, even getting several thousand yuan more in food compensation.
On September 10, the foreman kept an eye on them all day, but this group became even more slack. Seven people were assigned different tasks, but soon gathered to play instead. As Peng Wei put it, "slacking off," while the surrounding workers were busy, these seven were enjoying themselves immensely.
The next day, after the foreman assigned work and distributed tools, the seven began working. However, this group moved slowly, wandering around with their tools or squatting aside smoking, playing cards, and chatting idly. A job that should take an hour took them four hours to finish.
□ Fast reporter Zhang Chu Jie
Tricking six times
"You don't work, yet you want compensation? Impossible!" The foreman rejected their demands.
Yesterday morning, the Qixia Court heard this case. All seven confessed to their illegal actions, and the case is under further review.
Facing dismissal, besides cursing and causing trouble, Peng Wei and his group had other ways to scam money.
Scammed nearly 50,000 yuan
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On the first day of work, the foreman saw this and got very angry, constantly urging them, but these seven acted as if they hadn't heard anything.
(All characters in the article are pseudonyms)
Not working collectively
Dismiss us?
It turned out that the seven had planned beforehand not to work well wherever they went, forcing the foreman to dismiss them so they could then demand compensation. In doing so, they earned enough for travel expenses and a little extra without having to work. This method of scamming money was Peng Wei's usual trick. As his accomplices said, "We all know Peng Wei makes a living this way."
In the morning, these few people didn't do any work at all, but ate plenty of lunch. After starting work in the afternoon, Peng Wei and his group rested again in their respective places and even fell asleep. The foreman became anxious; the schedule was already tight. Not only did these workers eat and stay for free, but they also affected the enthusiasm of other workers, which was truly infuriating.
On September 11, the foreman decided not to use these seven anymore. Upon hearing they would be dismissed, these seven suddenly perked up, "We've come from afar, and you're just going to dismiss us? Impossible! You must compensate us for travel and lost wages." Peng Wei said confidently.
Every time they were dismissed, Peng Wei demanded compensation for travel expenses. In February 2011, this group rushed from a construction site in Shanghai to a building site in Lishui County, falsely claiming they came from their hometown in Henan, scamming the difference in train tickets. Thus, between 2010 and 2011, Peng Wei's group scammed six times across various places in Jiangsu Province, succeeding every time. Having tasted the sweet rewards, on April 15, 2011, the seven arrived at a construction site in Jiangning District, using the same old tricks. After being dismissed, they caused trouble, demanding 6,000 yuan in compensation. But this time, the foreman immediately called the police, and Peng Wei and his seven companions were caught on the spot. By then, the seven had scammed nearly 50,000 yuan.
Nowadays, scammers typically impersonate certain identities, either pretending to be directors or section chiefs, but in this era, even the identity of migrant workers has been misused. Not long ago, the police in Jiangning arrested seven fake migrant workers who roamed through construction sites in Nanjing, Lishui, Taizhou, Danyang, and elsewhere. Their method of earning money wasn't through hard work but by not working diligently...